Vasek Pospisil has been scorching hot this February, but Marseille second seed Stefanos Tsitsipas stands in his way of the semifinals on Friday. Denis Shapovalov and Alexander Bublik are also in action.
(PR) Vasek Pospisil vs. (2) Stefanos Tsitsipas
Tsitsipas and Pospisil will be squaring off for the second time in their careers when they clash in the Open 13 quarterfinals on Friday afternoon. Their only previous encounter came three years ago in ‘s-Hertogenbosch qualifying, with Pospisil picking up a 6-1, 7-6(7) grass-court win. The 98th-ranked Canadian has been plagued by injuries in recent seasons, but he is back with a vengeance in the early stages of 2020. Pospisil, the Montpellier runner-up, has improved to 8-4 on the main tour this year with Marseille victories over Emil Ruusuvuori and Hubert Hurkacz.
Tsitsipas has not quite recaptured the momentum that carried him to the 2019 Nitto ATP Finals title, but he showed promising signs with a 6-1, 6-3 beatdown of Mikael Ymer on Wednesday. The sixth-ranked Greek is stellar indoors and Pospisil has played a ton of recent tennis, so Tsitsipas may have the physical edge if this develops into an extended three-setter–which would not be surprising.
Pick: Tsitsipas in 3
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Alexander Bublik vs. (4) Denis Shapovalov
Like Tsitsipas, Shapovalov could really use a big week in Marseille. The 20-year-old Canadian brought a four-match losing streak with him into this tournament, but he followed up a first-round bye with a 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 victory over Marin Cilic on Thursday.
Up next for Shapovalov on Friday is a first-ever showdown against Bublik, who has advanced past Marton Fucsovics and Benoit Paire. The 55th-ranked Kazakh has been serving in surprisingly consistent fashion so far, which is why he should make this one extremely competitive. That being said, Shapovalov’s confidence is likely restored by his result against Cilic and his game is more reliable than Bublik’s in pressure-packed moments.
Pick: Shapovalov in 3
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