Winston-Salem QF previews and predictions: Edmund vs. Johnson, Carreno Busta vs. Chung

A couple of all-seeded affairs are part of the Winston-Salem quarterfinal lineup on Thursday. Kyle Edmund and Steve Johnson are set to go head-to-head, while Pablo Carreno Busta is going up against Hyeon Chung.

(8) Steve Johnson vs. (3) Kyle Edmund

Edmund and Johnson will be squaring of for the fourth time in their careers and for a second consecutive year in the Winston-Salem Open quarterfinals when they meet again at the same stage of this same event on Thursday afternoon. A 5-7, 6-3, 6-3 victory in 2017 allowed Edmund to improve to 1-1 lifetime against Johnson and he quickly parlayed that into a 7-5, 6-2, 7-6(4) win one week later at the U.S. Open. The American had previously defeated the Brit 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 at the 2015 Australian Open.

Both players have once again done well to pick up some momentum before heading to New York. Edmund was a dreadful 1-3 combined in his first three hard-court events of the summer, but he has raised his level to beat Leonardo Mayer and Roberto Carballes Baena in straight sets in Winston-Salem. Johnson punched his ticket to the last eight with straight-set defeats of Tommy Paul and a Jaume Munar. The world No. 34 is seeking his second title of the summer, having triumphed on the grass courts of Newport last month. A slight edge in current form goes to Johnson, who should be able to treat both himself and the home crowd to a measure of revenge for what transpired a year ago.

Pick: Johnson in 3

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(6) Hyeon Chung vs. (2) Pablo Carreno Busta

Similar to the case of Edmund, a trip to the Winston-Salem quarterfinals is just what the doctor ordered for a slumping Chung before he heads to New York for the season’s final Grand Slam. The 23rd-ranked South Korean has endured an injury-plagued past four months and he had won a mere three total matches since mid-May prior to this week. From just about of nowhere, however, Chung has earned victories over Guillermo Garcia-Lopez and an in-form Matteo Berrettini.

The 22-year-old’s reward is a first-ever showdown against Carreno Busta, who captured the title at this tournament in 2016. Although the second-seeded Spaniard is by no means expected to defend his semifinal points from last summer’s U.S. Open, he is setting himself up nicely to do at least some damage at Flushing Meadows. Carreno Busta is coming off a quarterfinal showing in Cincinnati and he advanced to the Winston-Salem quarters by ousting Franko Skugor and Peter Gojowyczk. The world No. 12 is in better form and better physical shape than Chung right now, plus he is obviously quite comfortable at this particular event.

Pick: Carreno Busta in 3

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