Winston-Salem QF previews and predictions: Michelsen vs. Eubanks, Carreno Busta vs. Tien

At No. 11, Alex Michelsen is already the second-highest seed remaining as quarterfinal Thursday arrives in Winston-Salem. Michelsen is going up against Chris Eubanks, while Pablo Carreno Busta faces Learner Tien.

(11) Alex Michelsen vs. (WC) Chris Eubanks

Michelsen and Eubanks 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 encounter did not disappoint; Eubanks prevailed 6-3, 6-7(6), 7-5 on the way to his first and only ATP title last summer on the grass courts of Mallorca.

A surface change and a much-improved Michelsen will likely produce a different story in this one. The 19-year-old American has climbed to No. 52 in the world thanks in part to 21 main-tour match wins this season–including Winston-Salem straight-setters against Marton Fucsovics and Zizou Bergs. The latter won a grand total of three games on Wednesday night. Eubanks, on the other hand, has slumped to 120th in the rankings since his breakthrough summer of 2023. The 6’7” American has done well to defeat Adam Walton, Hugo Gaston, and Roman Safiullin this week, but an in-form Michelsen represents a steep step up in competition.

Pick: Michelsen in 2

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(Q) Learner Tien vs. (WC) Pablo Carreno Busta

Carreno Busta is back from missing basically all of 2023 due to an elbow injury–and he is back in business, too. The 33-year-old Spaniard advanced one round in Montreal, reached the Cincinnati third round before losing to Alexander Zverev 7-5, 7-6(6), and has now produced his best result since advancing to the Basel quarterfinals in October of 2022. Carreno Busta is through to the Winston-Salem quarters after taking out Omni Kumar, Alexander Shevchenko, and Aleksandar Vukic.

Up next for the former world No. 10 is an opponent on the opposite extreme of the career spectrum. Tien is an 18-year-old American who briefly played college tennis at USC in 2023. He had never won a match at the ATP level prior to arriving in Winston-Salem, but after coming through qualifying he earned a surprising quarterfinal spot by beating Tristan Schoolkate, Fabian Marozsan (in a third-set tiebreaker), and Thiago Seyboth Wild. This is a big stage for the teenager–likely too big against a veteran who won this tournament 2016.

Pick: Carreno Busta in 2

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