Shenzhen QF previews and predictions: Goffin vs. Young, Zverev vs. Dzumhur

Top two seeds Alexander Zverev and David Goffin are still alive in Shenzhen and have matchups against fellow seeds on their hands during quarterfinal Friday. Zverev will meet Damir Dzumhur, while Goffin is set to battle Donald Young.

(8) Donald Young vs. (2) David Goffin

Goffin will continue his push for a berth in the World Tour Finals when he goes up against Young in the Shenzhen Open quarterfinals on Friday. Their only previous meeting came four years ago at the Miami Masters, where Goffin cruised 7-5, 6-4. Both players have made plenty of strides since then–Goffin, especially. The 12th-ranked Belgian made a 2016 World Tour Finals appearance as an alternate and he has a chance of qualifying this year, in part due to injuries sustained by Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, and Stan Wawrinka, among others. Goffin is an outstanding 41-18 this season despite suffering an injury of his own (knee/ankle at the French Open) and missed much of the summer.

Young is a solid 23-19 for his 2017 campaign and registers at No. 61 in the world. The 28-year-old American booked his place in the Shenzhen last eight by beating Nicola Kuhn and Jeremy Chardy in straight sets, while Goffin followed up a first-round by with a 7-6(5), 6-3 defeat of Evgeny Donskoy. Now that the second seed appears to be 100 percent, he should be able to make amends for a Metz quarterfinal loss last week to Benoit Paire via a brutal 7-6(3), 5-7, 7-6(7) scoreline.

Pick: Goffin in 2

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(1) Alexander Zverev vs. (6) Damir Dzumhur

Zverev just barely escaped his Shenzhen opener on Thursday, when he outlasted Steve Darcis 4-6, 7-6(5), 7-6(5) after two hours and 48 minutes. The fourth-ranked German trailed by a set and 2-0 in the second and also saw Darcis serve for a straight-set victory at 6-5, but the Belgian could not cross the finish line. Zverev is 48-15 with five titles this season, well on his way to an appearance at the O2 Arena in London.

Up next for Zverev is a first-ever showdown with Dzumhur, who is coming off his maiden ATP title in St. Petersburg. The world No. 40 is 29-20 this year and an amazing 14-2 in his last 16 matches dating back to a runner-up performance in Winston-Salem. Dzumhur earned a shot at Zverev by beating John Millman and Lukas Lacko earlier this week. Even though Zverev has to bounce back from a grueling battle, his opponent has also played a ton of recent tennis. Fatigue could be a factor for both, and the favorite will obviously have a much easier time finishing points with first-strike play.

Pick: Zverev in 2

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