Stan Wawrinka’s tough draw in Rotterdam continues with a quarterfinal contest against Denis Shapovalov on Friday. Daniil Medvedev and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who both captured titles last week, are also on the schedule.
(WC) Stan Wawrinka vs. (10) Denis Shapovalov
Wawrinka and Shapovalov will be going head-to-head for the second time in their careers when they battle for a semifinal spot at the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament on Friday. Their only previous encounter came last fall in Tokyo, where Shapovalov got the job done 4-6, 6-1, 6-4. Wawrinka’s comeback from 2018 physical problems, however, is off and running at this point. The 33-year-old Swiss advanced to the Doha quarterfinals, lost an Australian Open thriller to Milos Raonic in four tiebreakers, beat Benoit Paire in his Rotterdam opener, and then avenged the setback against Raonic by upsetting the Canadian 6-4, 7-6(4) on Wednesday.
Shapovalov is a decent 5-3 in ATP tournament play this season following straight-set victories this week over Franko Skugor and an in-form Tomas Berdych. The 25th-ranked Canadian fell to Novak Djokovic in Melbourne, but his other two losses were less than inspiring (to Joao Sousa and Pierre-Hugues Herbert). Wawrinka is a former champion of this event and he should be able to survive a competitive match on an indoor hard court.
Pick: Wawrinka in 3
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(5) Daniil Medvedev vs. (PR) Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
It will be a showdown between two recent champions when Medvedev and Tsonga square off for the third time in their careers and for the second time this season. Medvedev has been one of the best players on the entire tour dating back to last year, when he lifted three ATP winners’ trophies before triumphing again this past week in Sofia. The 16th-ranked Russian has shown no sings of slowing down in Rotterdam, where he earned a place in the quarterfinals by dismissing Jeremy Chardy and Fernando Verdasco in straight sets.
Tsonga is coming off a title in Montpellier and he also advanced to the Brisbane semifinals. It was none other than Medvedev who ousted the Frenchman there with a 7-6(6), 6-2 victory. Both players have obviously played a ton of tennis this season, which favors Medvedev given that he is 23 years old and his opponent is an injury-plagued 33-year-old. Look for the fifth seed to continue his hot streak after surviving at least one tiebreak set.
Pick: Medvedev in 2
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WWW?
Wawrinka and Medvedev in three
Wawa and Tsonga in 3
Wka in 2; Medv in 2
Medvedev is such a tough opponent – to me, he’s like a combination of Djoko plus Murray; he’s able to rally all day long from the baseline, hitting flat hard shots, and yet he’s able to vary the pace of his shots almost at will like a Murray.
His plays an unorthodox style too, no wonder he’s so tough to play against. He’s an interesting player to watch.
No doubt. But on Sunday we get to watch (tennis channel willing) LaMonf vs Wawa and I am looking forward to that!
Yes, an unusual style that combines aggressive flat hitting and standing well behind the baseline to defend.