Stefanos Tsitsipas and Andrey Rublev are the only remaining seeds in a depleted Rotterdam draw. They will go up against Karen Khachanov and Jeremy Chardy, respectively, during quarterfinal action on Friday.
Karen Khachanov vs. (2) Stefanos Tsitsipas
Tsitsipas and Khachanov will be squaring off for the third time in their careers when they battle for a semifinal spot at the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament on Friday. Both of their previous encounters have gone Tsitsipas’ way–both at the Shanghai Masters (7-5, 6-3 in 2017 and 6-4, 7-6(8) in 2018).
The world No. 6 won the match of the week so far, outlasting Hubert Hurkacz 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 on Thursday afternoon. Khachanov has posted convincing wins over Stan Wawrinka and Cameron Norrie, but the Russian’s form dating back to 2020 does not suggest that he is ready to turn the tide against Tsitsipas. The Greek is coming off a semifinal run at Melbourne Park and is quite simply one of the two most confident players left in this draw along with Andrey Rublev. Tsitsipas should be able to dictate play often enough to avoid Khachanov’s forehand in the most important moments.
Pick: Tsitsipas in 3
(4) Andrey Rublev vs. (Q) Jeremy Chardy
Rublev led the ATP Tour with five titles last year and he was especially dominant at the 500-point level. All three of the eighth-ranked Russian’s triumphs during the fall swing came in 500s–Hamburg (clay), Vienna (indoors), and St. Petersburg (indoors). Rublev is up to his usual tricks once again this week, taking out Marcos Giron and Andy Murray in straight sets. The 23-year-old is 10-1 this season with a title for Russia at ATP Cup and a quarterfinal showing at the Australian Open.
Up next for Rublev on Friday is Chardy, who trails the head-to-head series 5-1 (2-1 at the ATP level). Rublev is 3-0 against the Frenchman on indoor hard courts and he took their most recent encounter 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 at the 2020 U.S. Open. Last season was a disaster for Chardy, but he has come out blazing in 2021. The world No. 64 is 8-3 with a pair of 250 semifinals (Antalya and Melbourne) and now a Rotterdam quarterfinal following two qualifying victories and main-draw defeats of Ugo Humbert (saved two match points) and David Goffin). At some point Chardy is going to run out of gas, and it will likely come at the hands of a red-hot opponent against whom the underdog has struggled in the past.
Pick: Rublev in 2
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Tpas in 3; Rublev in 2