Julien Benneteau and Jarkko Nieminen are two wins away each from a rematch in the Sydney final. Standing in their way of the semis on Thursday are Ryan Harrison and Bernard Tomic, respectively.
Ryan Harrison vs. Julien Benneteau
Harrison and Benneteau will be meeting for the first time in their careers when they go head-to-head in the quarterfinals of the Apia International on Thursday.
Benneteau is seeking a return trip to the Sydney title match (finished runner-up to Jarkko Nieminen in 2012), and it is setting up nicely for him. After getting past Pablo Andujar in three sets, the Frenchman benefited from a first-game retirement by Radek Stepanek on Wednesday.
Now, Benneteau is facing fellow unseeded floater Harrison as opposed to No. 1 seed John Isner. The 20-year-old American took down his compatriot 6-4, 6-4 in round two after beginning with a retirement from Roberto Bautista Agut. Harrison has begun the season in form–although he lost in the Brisbane opening round last week, he did well to qualify for the main draw.
This should be an entertaining match, what with both men in fine form. Benneteau, however, has more experience in the latter stages of ATP events and owns a stronger mental game when it comes to tough matches. Is his first career title–finally–in sight?
Odds: Harrison -115, Benneteau -115
Pick: Benneteau 5-7, 6-4, 6-3
Bernard Tomic vs. Jarkko Nieminen
Tomic and Nieminen will also be facing each other for the first time in their careers during quarterfinal action.
While the season is not yet two weeks old, Tomic is already in scorching form. The 20-year-old Australian toppled Novak Djokovic at the Hopman Cup, but more telling of his current level are straight-set disposals this week of Marinko Matosevic and Florian Mayer. He says he could be in the Top 10 in two to three months and may go “even higher” than the Top 10 in 2013…. That’s one his many inflated viewpoints, but it is true that he is playing great tennis.
At the same time, though, Nieminen’s title defense is off to a routine start. The veteran Finn destroyed Bjorn Phau 6-0, 6-1 then faced lucky loser Ivo Klec instead of second-seeded Gilles Simon. That resulted in another blowout–this time 6-3, 6-1.
This could be the best match of the tournament to date, but Tomic’s ever-brimming confidence is sky-high right now and the crowd will be in his corner. In his words, “there’s no stopping me.” Well, that may at least be the case on Thursday.
Odds: Tomic -300, Nieminen +200
Picks: Tomic 7-6(5), 7-5
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