Roger Federer and Juan Martin Del Potro will continue their Stuttgart campaigns on Friday. Standing in their respective ways prior to the semifinals are Florian Mayer and Gilles Simon.
(1) Roger Federer vs. (Q) Florian Mayer
Federer and Mayer will be going head-to-head for the seventh time in their careers when they clash in the quarterfinals of the Mercedes Cup on Friday. All six of their previous encounters have gone the way of Federer, who most recently got the job done 6-0, 7-6(1) on the grass courts of Halle. The 34-year-old Swiss is 3-0 at Mayer’s expense on grass (all in Halle) and 13-1 in total sets across all six of their meetings.
Playing for the first time since the Rome Masters in early May, Federer opened on Thursday–and for seven games until it rained on Wednesday–with a 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 victory over Taylor Fritz. The top seed is 12-4 for what has been an abbreviated 2016 campaign due to knee surgery, illness, and a back injury. This is by far Mayer’s best tournament since Halle in 2015, when he advanced to the quarterfinals. The 226th-ranked German soon found himself sidelined for the last four months of 2015 and did not play again until April of this year because of recurring injuries. Finally back in business, Mayer qualified for the main draw in Stuttgart before beating sixth-seeded Viktor Troicki in straight sets and wild card Michael Berrer 6-3, 3-6, 6-4. With one match under his belt, Federer should improve in a major way and handle the qualifier more comfortably than he did his first opponent.
Pick: Federer in 2 losing 8 games or fewer
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(WC) Juan Martin Del Potro vs. (4) Gilles Simon
Simon and Del Potro will be squaring off for the seventh time in their careers on Friday. The head-to-head series is all tied up at three wins apiece, but they have not faced each other in more than three years mainly because of Del Potro’s myriad wrist injuries. A pair of grass-court meetings have gone the Argentine’s way; 7-6(8), 7-6(5), 7-5 at Wimbledon in 2011 and 6-1, 4-6, 6-3 on his eventual way to the bronze medal at the 2012 London Olympics.
Del Potro may not be playing quite as much tennis as his fans would like, but his 2016 comeback could hardly be off to a better start. The 2009 U.S. Open champion is scheduling smart and playing well. He is 10-5 for the season with zero first-round losses, a semifinal appearance in Delray Beach, and straight-set victories this week over Grigor Dimitrov and John Millman. Simon followed up an opening-round bye with a 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 win over Jan-Lennard Struff on Thursday. The 18th-ranked Frenchman is a modest 18-12 for the year and it may not get any better until he gets back on his preferred hard-court surface. On grass, Del Potro should be able to dictate play on a consistent basis primarily with his serve and forehand.
Pick: Del Potro in 3
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