Friday’s Stockholm quarterfinals will showcase a blockbuster meeting between Jerzy Janowicz and Ernests Gulbis. Fellow seeds Milos Raonic and Benoit Paire are also in action.
(3) Jerzy Janowicz vs. (5) Ernests Gulbis
Janowicz and Gulbis will be squaring off for the fifth time in their careers and for the third time at the ATP level when they collide in the quarterfinals of the If Stockholm Open on Friday. They have split their four previous encounters, including the two ATP showdowns. Janowicz, who has defeated Gulbis on clay and grass but is 0-2 in the series on hard courts or carpet, won their biggest match 2-6, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(2), 9-7 last summer in the Wimbledon second round. The 15th-ranked Pole had not played since the U.S. Open prior to this week due to a back injury, but his 6-2, 6-1 rout of Guillermo Garcia-Lopez on Wednesday is encouraging. It was Janowicz’s first victory since Montreal.
Suddenly consistent, Gulbis is 36-15 for the season after ousting Jeremy Chardy (in a third-set tiebreaker) and Igor Sijsling. The 26th-ranked Latvian owns a pair of 2013 titles–one earlier this fall in St. Petersburg. This matchup features similar playing styles of a huge serve complemented by one other major weapon (Gulbis’ backhand, Janowicz’s forehand) in addition to skillful touch around the net. Janowicz’s slightly bigger serve and generally superior service percentage, combined with his alacrity for pressure moments, should win him necessary free points and be the difference in what is sure to be competitive, down-to-the-wire affair.
Pick: Janowicz in 3
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(6) Benoit Paire vs. (2) Milos Raonic
Raonic played the villain role on Thursday, ending the run of 31-year-old Swede and sentimental favorite Joachim Johansson with a 6-2, 7-6(3) victory. That came following a first-round bye for the No. 2 seed and improved his season record to 44-19. Raonic has played especially well of late, with a title in Bangkok and a runner-up finish in Tokyo before a third-round performance at the Shanghai Masters.
Up next for the world No. 11 is a first-ever meeting with Paire. Paire’s spot in the quarterfinals came courtesy of twin 6-4, 6-4 dismissals of Santiago Giraldo and Pablo Carreno Busta. The 25th-ranked Frenchman is a decent 31-27 for the year, but this week marks the first time he has won back-to-back matches at an ATP tournament since Montreal. Paire has the talent to hang tough in this one, but an indoor hard court gives Raonic a big advantage. Additionally, Paire may have a mental breakdown watching his opponent win so many free points on serve.
Pick: Raonic in 2
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