Indian Wells QF previews and predictions: Del Potro vs. Kohlschreiber, Querrey vs. Raonic

A surprising bottom half of the Indian Wells draw is down to its final four, with Juan Martin Del Potro leading the way into quarterfinal action. Del Potro is going up against Philipp Kohlschreiber, while Sam Querrey is facing Milos Raonic.

(6) Juan Martin Del Potro vs. (31) Philipp Kohlschreiber

Del Potro and Kohlschreiber will be squaring of for the ninth time in their careers when they battle for a place in the semifinals of the BNP Paribas Open on Friday. The head-to-head stands at 6-2 in favor of Del Potro; but Kohlschreiber won their last two meetings in 2016; 6-4, 6-1 on the red clay of Munich and 6-3, 6-4 on the grass of Stuttgart. Del Potro is 5-0 lifetime against the German on hard courts, including 1-0 in Indian Wells (via a 7-6(3), 7-6(7) decision during fourth-round action in 2011).

Just coming back from yet another wrist surgery when he succumbed to Kohlschreiber twice in 2016, Del Potro is a much different–and healthier–player now. The eighth-ranked Argentine missed out on a berth in the 2017 Nitto ATP Finals by just one match and he is looking like he wants to make a London appearance this time around. Del Potro is 14-3 for the season with a title in Acapulco, a runner-up showing in Auckland, and victories this week over Alex De Minaur, David Ferrer, and Leonardo Mayer. Kohlschreiber earned a rare spot in a Masters 1000 quarterfinal by taking out Tim Smyczek, Marin Cilic, and Pierre-Hugues Herbert–also dropping just one set in the process. The 34-year-old German had previously been a mere 2-5 in 2018 and has slipped to 37th in the rankings. A day of rest for Del Potro following a tough one against Mayer should be beneficial, and he will likely maintain his dominance of Kohlschreiber on this surface.

Pick: Del Potro in 2

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(18) Sam Querrey vs. (32) Milos Raonic

The jury is still out on Raonic as he prepares for his first quarterfinal appearance at a Masters 1000 tournament since last May (Rome) and his first quarterfinal of any kind since last August (Washington, D.C.). The oft-injured Canadian has needed to win only two matches in the desert so far, with an opening-round bye and a walkover from Marcos Baghdatis surrounding defeats of Felix Auger-Aliassime and Joao Sousa. Raonic, who played only one event (Tokyo) during the final four months of 2017, is just 3-3 this season.

Up next for the world No. 38 on Friday is a fifth career showdown against Querrey, with the head-to-head series all tied up at two wins apiece. Querrey will break into the top 10 next Monday and become the top-ranked American if he beats Raonic to earn a semifinal spot. The 6’6” American finished runner-up to Kevin Anderson on the indoor hard courts of New York and he has advanced this week by defeating Mischa Zverev, Yuki Bhambri, and Feliciano Lopez. Querrey is more confident, moving better, and striking his groundstrokes cleaner than Raonic right now, and the No. 18 seed has played far more pressure-packed matches of late.

Pick: Querrey in 3

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