David Ferrer and Andy Murray are one round away from what would be a huge semifinal match in Valencia. The London contenders first have to get past Thomaz Bellucci and Kevin Anderson, respectively, on Friday.
(1) David Ferrer vs. (Q) Thomaz Bellucci
Ferrer and Bellucci will be facing each other for the sixth time in their careers and for the second time this season when they do battle in the Valencia Open quarterfinals on Friday. Their most recent encounter came on the clay courts of Rio de Janeiro, where Ferrer prevailed 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 to improve to 4-1 lifetime in the head-to-head series. They have squared off only once on hard courts, with the Spaniard cruising 7-6(7), 6-3 at the 2010 Shanghai Masters.
With World Tour Finals qualification at stake, Ferrer can pass Milos Raonic for ninth in the race if he goes further in Valencia than Raonic does in Basel. That means the top seed will have to win this match in order to have a chance of doing so. A relatively in-form Ferrer is 51-21 for the season and 7-2 since the start of Shanghai following straight-set wins this week over Andreas Seppi and Fernando Verdasco. Bellucci got a walkover from Roberto Bautista Agut on Thursday, which should be useful simply because the Brazilian had to expend additional energy just to get into the main draw as a qualifier. He then ousted defending champion Mikhail Youzhny. Bellucci has been playing well this fall, but an inspired Ferrer has the added benefit of playing in front of home fans.
Pick: Ferrer in 3
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(3) Andy Murray vs. (7) Kevin Anderson
Murray is also making a late push for London qualification and is potentially one round away from an all-import showdown against Ferrer. The 10th-ranked Scot is really heating up this fall, with titles in Shenzhen and Vienna. He has not looked back so far this week, rolling into the quarters with straight-set scalps of Jurgen Melzer and Fabio Fognini.
Up next for Murray is Anderson, against whom the No. 3 seed is 2-1 lifetime. They have met only once in the last three years, with Murray getting the job done 6-4, 6-3, 7-6(6) in the fourth round of this summer’s Wimbledon. They have traded dominant performances on hard courts; Murray cruised 6-1, 6-1, 6-2 at the 2010 Australian Open before Anderson rolled 6-3, 6-1 at the 2011 Canada Masters. Anderson has been slumping this fall, but he scored an impressive 6-3, 6-4 win over Philipp Kohlschreiber in his Basel opener then got a walkover from Martin Klizan. In questionable form, the South African probably won’t be able to keep points short enough on a surface that is not playing particularly fast.
Pick: Murray in 2 with no tiebreakers
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Murray completely off the air. Playing like he has lost interest in the outcome.
Andy waits until he is a set down then decides to up his game at 4:3 in the second set to force a decider. He has to be one of the most frustrating players to watch.