Only one all-seeded matchup is taking place in the Winston-Salem quarterfinals on Thursday: Sebastian Korda vs. Miomir Kecmanovic. Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard and Hamad Medjedovic are also aiming for a place in the last four.
(11) Sebastian Korda vs. (13) Miomir Kecmanovic
Korda and Kecmanovic will be squaring off for the third time in their careers when they clash in the Winston-Salem Open quarterfinals on Thursday. They have split their two previous encounters; Kecmanovic prevailed 7-6(4), 6-3 at the 2022 Miami Masters before Korda got revenge with a 6-3, 7-6(4) victory earlier this season in Adelaide.
Because of a stress fracture in his shin, this is Korda’s first tournament since Roland Garros. Impressively, the 86th-ranked American has already won a pair of matches–in straight sets over Vit Kopriva and in three over Kamil Majchrzak. Kecmanovic secured his spot in the quarters by beating Aleksandar Kovacevic and Luciano Darderi. The 45th-ranked Serb is coming off a much easier third-round match and this version of Korda can’t be trusted to string together three good matches in a row.
Pick: Kecmanovic in 3
Hamad Medjedovic vs. (9) Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard
Mpetshi Perricard and Medjedovic will be going head-to-head for the second time in their careers on Thursday. They previously faced each other a few months ago on the red clay of Barcelona, where Medjedovic got the job done 7-5, 7-6(6). Even though one of Mpetshi Perricard’s two ATP titles has come on clay (Lyon 2024), a move to fast hard courts should give him a much better chance in this matchup. The 6’8” Frenchman wields one of the biggest serves on tour and he did not face a single break point while easing past compatriot Alexandre Muller 6-3, 6-2 on Wednesday.
Medjedovic is also playing well. The 65th-ranked Serb, who reached the third round in Cincinnati (lost to eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz), has advanced in Winston-Salem with straight-set wins over Arthur Rinderknech, Jake Fearnley, and Gabriel Diallo. Although Medjedovic is in superior form and is certainly the better all-court player, Mpetshi Perricard’s serve could be the deciding factor in these conditions.
Pick: Mpetshi Perricard in 3
WWW?
Medjedovic is poised to win the title without dropping a set, in my opinion
He gets almost as many free points as Perricard on his serve, and the conditions suit his all-round game perfectly
welp
Korda in 3; GMP in 2
nice GMP pick
Cashed Korda 2 – let’s go Medjedovic in 2!
Oh man GMP is ripping!
Pity its not a big tournie