Queen’s Club QF previews and predictions: Tsitsipas vs. Auger-Aliassime Simon vs. Mahut

The only all-seeded matchup in the Queen’s Club quarterfinals pits Stefanos Tsitsipas against Felix Auger-Aliassime on Friday. In a much more surprising contest, Gilles Simon faces qualifier and former runner-up Nicolas Mahut.

(1) Stefanos Tsitsipas vs. (8) Felix Auger-Aliassime

Tsitsipas and Auger-Aliassime will be squaring off for the second time in their pro careers when they clash in the Queen’s Club quarterfinals on Friday afternoon. Their only previous meeting came earlier this season at the Indian Wells Masters, where Auger-Aliassime cruised 6-4, 6-2. Tsitsipas may have been fatigued in that one, coming off consecutive final appearances in Marseille and Dubai. Roles could be reversed this time around, as Auger-Aliassime had to work double duty on Thursday due to extensive rain earlier in the week. The 18-year-old Canadian took care of Grigor Dimitrov 6-4, 6-4 before outlasting Nick Kyrgios 6-7(4), 7-6(3), 7-6(5). Auger-Aliassime also just finished runner-up in Stuttgart last week.

This week started on Wednesday–still a day later than scheduled–for Tsitsipas, whose opener against Kyle Edmund got delayed midway through the second set. The top-seeded Greek finished it off 6-3, 7-5 and then overcame Jeremy Chardy -6, 7-6(0), 7-6(4) after the Frenchman failed to serve out the match in the second set. Tsitsipas may not be 100 percent either, but he played only one match last week in ‘s-Hertogenbosch. The world No. 6 can also shorten points with plenty of effectiveness, as his net game is far superior to Auger Aliassime’s at this point.

Pick: Tsitsipas in 3

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(Q) Nicolas Mahut vs. Gilles Simon

The clock will be turned back when Simon and Mahut facing each other in a surprising quarterfinal, 15 years after their first encounter at the 2004 Grenoble Challenger. They have met seven times overall at the ATP level, with Simon dominating the head-to-head series 6-1. The 34-year-old Frenchman has won five in a row at Mahut’s expense, spanning from 2010 through 2017. Their most recent tilt came on the indoor hard courts of Rotterdam two years ago, when Simon got the job done 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Grass will give Mahut a better chance, as this has always been his best surface. The 37-year-old Frenchman is best known for playing the longest match in tennis history against John Isner at Wimbledon in 2010, but he is actually a former Queen’s Club runner-up (lost to Andy Roddick in a third-set tiebreaker in 2007). Mahut qualified for the main draw this week and then defeated Frances Tiafoe and Stan Wawrinka–the latter in a third-set tiebreaker. Simon scraped past James Ward in the same fashion before ousting No. 2 seed Kevin Anderson 6-1, 4-6, 6-4. This is true tossup because grass equalizes the playing field for Mahut, but Simon’s defense and returning almost always wins out in this particular matchup and it should again on Friday.

Pick: Simon in 3

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