Winston-Salem QF previews and predictions: Korda vs. Gasquet, Lehecka vs. Purcell

With Winston-Salem ending on Saturday prior to the U.S. Open, the quarterfinals are taking place on Thursday instead of Friday. A full schedule includes Sebastian Korda vs. Richard Gasquet and Jiri Lehecka vs. Max Purcell.

(12) Richard Gasquet vs. (3) Sebastian Korda

Korda and Gasquet will be going head-to-head for the second time in their careers when they battle for a semifinal spot at the Winston-Salem Open on Thursday. Their only previous meeting came at Roland Garros in 2022, when Korda cruised 7-6(5), 6-3, 6-3.

It’s the 33rd-ranked American who has home-court advantage this time around and so far in Winston-Salem he has treated the crowd to straight-set victories over Benjamin Bonzi and Marton Fucsovics. Korda has not won a whole lot of matches since sustaining a wrist injury in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open, so he should be eager for more success even though the U.S. Open looms large next week. As for Gasquet, he has advanced past Marc-Andrea Huesler (6-4, 6-4) and Brandon Nakashima (2-6, 6-4, 6-4). With the 37-year-old Frenchman coming off a tough-three setter and probably not wanting to spend too much energy in advance of the U.S. Open, Korda should have the edge from a physicality standpoint.

Pick: Korda in 3

(5) Jiri Lehecka vs. Max Purcell

Surprisingly, Purcell has been the breakout star of the hard-court summer on the ATP Tour. The 25-year-old Australian reached the Toronto second round as a qualifier (lost to Andy Murray 7-6(2), 3-6, 7-5) and also qualified in Cincinnati, where he made a run to the quarterfinals before falling to Carlos Alcaraz 4-6, 6-3, 6-4. Still going strong, Purcell booked a place in the Winston-Salem quarters by beating Marco Cecchinato, Andrey Kuznetsov, and Tallon Griekspoor all in straight sets.

Up next for the world No. 47 is Lehecka, who won their only previous encounter 7-6(2), 7-6(8) in 2022 Australian Open qualifying. Lehecka has also announced himself on tour this season, including a quarterfinal run in Melbourne and a fourth-round showing at Wimbledon. The 21-year-old Czech, who is one ranking spot out of U.S. Open seeding right now, has advanced this week by taking out Mitchell Krueger and Dominik Koepfer. Far more rested than his opponent given Purcell’s overall body of work in recent weeks, Lehecka will likely have the upper hand in a high-quality contest.

Pick: Lehecka in 3