Rio de Janeiro QF previews and predictions: Schwartzman vs. Monfils, Thiem vs. Verdasco

Gael Monfils has survived a couple of roller-coaster rides in Rio de Janeiro and his reward is a quarterfinal date with Diego Schwartzman on Friday. Meanwhile, Dominic Thiem–the highest remaining seed–is continuing his campaign against Fernando Verdasco.

Gael Monfils vs. (6) Diego Schwartzman

Schwartzman and Monfils will be going head-to-head for just the second time in their careers when they battle for a place in the semifinals of the Rio Open on Friday. Their only previous encounter also came on clay and it did not disappoint, with Monfils prevailing 4-6, 6-4, 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 at the 2015 French Open. The 39th-ranked Frenchman is still going relatively strong at 31 years old, but he continues to be one of the most mercurial performers on tour. For example, he made a debut appearance at the World Tour Finals in 2016 before basically falling off the map last season. Monfils is off to a solid 11-3 start to his 2018 campaign with a title in Doha and Rio victories over Horacio Zeballos (7-5, 3-6, 7-5) and top-seeded Marin Cilic (6-3, 7-6(8) in a match that saw its final four points pushed from Wednesday to Thursday due to rain).

Unlike his opponent, Schwartzman is trying to build on by far his best year on tour but off to a mediocre start in 2018. The 23rd-ranked Argentine, who reached round four of the Australian Open, is coming off a quarterfinal loss in Buenos Aires to eventual runner-up Aljaz Bedene. Schwartzman got a retirement from Casper Ruud on Monday in Rio de Janeiro before easing past compatriot Federico Delbonis 6-2, 6-3 in the second round. With the sixth seed well-rested and Monfils coming off a pair of physically and mentally draining contests, Schwartzman may have the edge in this one.

Pick: Schwartzman in 3

[polldaddy poll=9945071]

(8) Fernando Verdasco vs. (2) Dominic Thiem

Thiem is a ridiculous 67-13 in his last 80 clay-court matches dating back to 2015. His 8-0 record on the slow stuff this season includes a title last week in Buenos Aires followed by Rio de Janeiro victories over Dusan Lajovic (6-2, 7-5) and Pablo Andujar (via first-set retirement). Two routine days at the office were exactly what the doctor ordered for Thiem, who had only one full day of rest in between his triumph this past weekend and his opener against Lajovic.

Up next for the sixth-ranked Austrian on Friday is a third career encounter with Verdasco, who surprisingly leads the head-to-head series 2-0. The 34-year-old Spaniard got the job done 5-7, 6-4, 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 at Wimbledon three years ago and 6-4, 6-4 on the indoor hard courts of Paris last fall. Verdasco, ranked 40th at the moment, is a mediocre 5-4 in 2018 with a second-round performance in Buenos Aires and three-set wins this week over Leonardo Mayer and Nicolas Kicker. With Theim in fine form, Verdasco coming off a pair of difficult matches, and a drastic surface change from their previous meetings, the tide will almost certainly turn on Friday. There is only one player right now who can be expected to beat Thiem on clay, and it is a left-hander from Spain. But it isn’t Verdasco.

Pick: Thiem in 2

[polldaddy poll=9945159]