Nottingham QF previews and predictions: Dolgopolov vs. Muller, Anderson vs. Johnson

Gilles Muller’s stellar grass-court campaign will continue on Thursday in Nottingham, where he is set for a quarterfinal showdown against Alexandr Dolgopolov. Former college stars Kevin Anderson and Steve Johnson are also in action.

(8) Gilles Muller vs. (4) Alexandr Dolgopolov

Dolgopolov and Muller will be going head-to-head for the second time in their careers and for the first time in four years when they battle for a semifinal spot at the AEGON Open on Thursday. Their only previous encounter came on the indoor hard courts of Valencia in 2012, when Dolgopolov got the job done 6-4, 6-4. Fast forward to 2016 and Muller is still going strong at 32 years old. The 41st-ranked Luxembourgian remains without an ATP title, but he may be due this week in Nottingham. Muller is coming off a runner-up finish in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, a quarterfinal performance at Queen’s Club, and so far this week he has taken out Jiri Vesely and Mikhail Youzhny.

Also earning a first-round bye as the No. 4 seed, Dolgopolov has advanced with straight-set defeats of Kyle Edmund and Frank Dancevic. The 32nd-ranked Ukrainian is an abbreviated 15-9 for his 2016 campaign and had not played since Rome prior to his arrival in Nottingham because of injury. Muller represents a steep step up in competition from Edmund and Dancevic and the grass-court surface also favors the eighth seed.

Pick: Muller in 3

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(1) Kevin Anderson vs. (6) Steve Johnson

Anderson is aiming for his first semifinal berth since he captured the Winston-Salem title last summer just prior to the U.S. Open. That drought can mostly be chalked up to injury problems, which left the world No. 24 with a meager 3-8 record this season prior to his arrival in Nottingham. But Anderson may be heating up just in time for Wimbledon, as he punched his ticket to the Nottingham quarterfinals by beating Ivan Dodig and Fernando Verdasco.

Up next for Anderson on Thursday is Johnson, who trails the head-to-head series 4-2. They faced each other three times in the first two months of 2015, with Anderson prevailing on each occasion to extend his winning streak over Johnson to four matches. Last fall, however, the American got back on the scoreboard by beating the South African 5-7, 7-6(5), 6-4 in the Vienna quarterfinals. Johnson is through to the last eight in Nottingham thanks to straight-set victories over John Millman and Vasek Pospisil. The world No. 38 is also coming off a quarterfinal performance at Queen’s Club, where he fell to eventual runner-up Marin Cilic 6-7(3), 6-3, 6-4. This is the first time Anderson has won back-to-back matches in the main draw of an event since Vienna and asking him to win another one may be too much against an in-form Johnson.

Pick: Johnson in 3

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