A blockbuster quarterfinal matchup between Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and David Goffin is set for Friday in Metz. Fellow Germans Philipp Kohlschreiber and Jan-Lennard Struff are also looking for a place in the last four.
(1) Jo-Wilfried Tsonga vs. (8) David Goffin
Tsonga and Goffin will be going head-to-head for the third time in their careers and for the second time this season when they collide in the quarterfinals of the Moselle Open on Friday. Both of their previous encounters have gone Tsonga’s way; 7-6(4), 6-4, 6-3 last year at Wimbledon and 7-6(5), 6-2 a few months ago at Queen’s Club. Goffin, however, is playing the best tennis of his life right now. The 45th-ranked Belgian is 31-2 in his last 33 matches after winning two Davis Cup rubbers last week and rolling over Florent Serra and Tobias Kamke so far in Metz.
Following a first-round bye as the No. 1 seed, Tsonga got past Gilles Muller 7-6(7), 6-4 on Wednesday. The 11th-ranked Frenchman is 35-15 for what has been an inconsistent 2014 campaign. He ended a slump by capturing the Toronto title before succumbing to Andy Murray in the U.S. Open fourth round. Like their two prior meetings on grass, the surface and setting in this one also favor Tsonga. He is a two-time champion in Metz with a lifetime record of 14-2 at this tournament.
Pick: Tsonga in 2
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(3) Philipp Kohlschreiber vs. Jan-Lennard Struff
Kohlschreiber and Stuff will be squaring off for the second time in their careers and for the second time this year on Friday. Appropriately, the first showdown between these two Germans came in their home nation. This July on the clay courts of Stuttgart, Kohlschreiber scored a 6-4, 6-3 first-round victory.
It has already been a stellar week for Struff, who earned his spot in the quarterfinals by coming back from a set down in each of his two matches against Dusan Lajovic and Jeremy Chardy. The world No. 61 is 12-15 at the ATP level this season. Kohlshreiber opened in Metz with a 6-3, 7-5 defeat of Paolo Lorenzi. The No. 3 seed is coming off a fourth-round performance at the U.S. Open. Struff can be competitive if his big serve is working, but–as Kohlschreiber’s three straight U.S. Open third-round scalps of John Isner suggest–the world No. 24 is one of the best returners in the game.
Pick: Kohlschreiber in 2
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got both wrong. Kohlschreiber retired and Goffin beat Tsonga 7-5 in the 3rd.
That’s why they play the games.
#BooYou???
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