Sao Paulo QF previews and predictions: Fognini vs. Garcia-Lopez, Cuevas vs. Mayer

Fabio Fognini will be back in action on Friday, when he continues what has been a busy Golden Swing with a Sao Paulo quarterfinal against Guillermo Garcia-Lopez. Three-time defending champion Pablo Cuevas is also aiming for a place in the semis, as he battles Leonardo Mayer.

Guillermo Garcia-Lopez vs. (2) Fabio Fognini

Fognini and Garcia-Lopez will be facing each other for the eighth time in their careers when they clash in the Brasil Open quarterfinals on Friday. The head-to-head series stands at 4-3 in favor of Fognini, including 3-2 on clay. The two veterans have squared off only once since 2013, as Garcia-Lopez got the job done 6-1, 7-6(2) at the 2016 Rome Masters.

At 34 years old, Garcia-Lopez is quietly hanging around at No. 67 in the world. Despite that solid ranking, this is already a strong result for the Spaniard–especially given that he is by no means a clay-court specialist like many of his countrymen. Garcia-Lopez is through to the Sao Paulo quarterfinals following three-set victories over Gerald Melzer and Federico Delbonis. Following a first-round bye as the No. 2 seed, Fognini disposed of qualifier Joao Domingues 7-5, 6-1 on Wednesday. The 20th-ranked Italian is coming off a semifinal showing on the red clay of Rio de Janeiro and he should make it at least that far in Sao Paulo as long as he stays somewhat focused.

Pick: Fognini in 3

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(5) Leonardo Mayer vs. (3) Pablo Cuevas

Exactly half of Cuevas’ six career ATP titles have come in Sao Paulo–and they have come in succession over the past three years. All six of the Uruguayan’s titles have come on clay, including four in Brazil (also in Rio de Janeiro in 2016). He has reached nine ATP finals in his career, eight of which have come on the slow stuff. Cuevas, however, is certainly not in the kind of form that would suggest a fourth consecutive Sao Paulo title is imminent. The world No. 31 got crushed by Gael Monfils in the Buenos Aires first round and he is coming off a bad 7-5, 6-3 loss to Nicolas Jarry in the Rio de Janeiro quarterfinals. Cuevas managed to get back on the winning track in this week’s opener, as he dismissed qualifier Sebastian Ofner 6-4, 7-6(4) on Wednesday.

Up next for Cuevas on Friday is a third career ATP-level contest against Mayer, with the head-to-head series tied up at one win apiece. The 49th-ranked Argentine prevailed 6-4, 6-2 on the hard courts of Sydney in 2010 before giving his opponent a second-set retirement in a 2014 showdown at the Paris Masters. Mayer is a decent 6-5 so far this season with quarterfinal performance in Buenos Aires and now another quarterfinal showing in Sao Paulo thanks to victories over Gastao Elias and Carlos Berlocq. The competition level increases dramatically on Friday, and it is just about impossible to pick against Cuevas at this particular event.

Pick: Cuevas in 2

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