Roger Federer will be back in action on Friday in Toronto as he goes up against David Ferrer. Milos Raonic and Feliciano Lopez are also hoping to snag a spot in the semifinals.
(5) David Ferrer vs. (2) Roger Federer
Federer and Ferrer will be going head-to-head for the 15th time in their careers when they collide in the quarterfinals of the Rogers Cup on Friday night. All 14 of their previous meetings have gone the way of Federer, who is 29-3 in total sets against Ferrer. Amazingly enough, not a single one of their encounters has ever come at a Grand Slam. Federer is 7-0 in Masters 1000 events and also 4-0 at the year-end championship. The two veterans have not faced each other since 2012, when Federer earned straight-set victories in Madrid and at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals.
The 33-year-old Swiss, whose birthday is on Friday, survived a third-round scare against Marin Cilic with a 7-6(5), 6-7(3), 6-4 victory in which he required seven match points. That was preceded by a 6-2, 6-0 blowout of Peter Polansky. Ferrer advanced by taking out both Michael Russell and Ivan Dodig in three sets. The 32-year-old Spaniard is a decent 39-14 for the season. With Ferrer in mediocre form, it’s hard to see him troubling Federer–especially on a relatively fast hard court.
Pick: Federer in 2
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(6) Milos Raonic vs. Feliciano Lopez
Raonic and Lopez will be colliding for the third time in their careers on Friday. They last played in the 2013 Bangkok quarterfinals, with Raonic prevailing 6-4, 6-3 to take a 2-1 lead in the head-to-head series. The Canadian also scored a 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 victory at last summer’s U.S. Open. Lopez’s lone win over Raonic came via a 4-6, 7-6(2), 6-4 decision three years ago on the clay courts of Madrid.
Despite a long week in Washington, D.C. that resulted in a title, Raonic is right back in gear at the Rogers Cup. The 2013 runner-up survived Jack Sock in three tiebreakers in his opener and also needed three sets to get past Julien Benneteau on Thursday. Lopez booked his spot in the quarters with wins over Roberto Bautista Agut, Tim Smyczek, and Tomas Berdych. The 32-year-old Spaniard is 30-18 for his 2014 campaign and on the verge of surging into the top 20. With home-court advantage and an ability to keep points short to fend off any possible fatigue, Raonic has to be considered a huge favorite.
Pick: Raonic in 2
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