A quartet of seeds is through to the Winston-Salem semifinals for Friday action. Alexandr Dolgopolov is going up against Gael Monfils and Sam Querrey runs into Jurgen Melzer.
(15) Gael Monfils vs. (10) Alexandr Dolgopolov
Monfils and Dolgopolov will be going head-to-head for the second time in their careers and for the second time this season when the collide in the semifinals of the Winston-Salem Open on Friday. Their only previous encounter came in the first round of the Australian Open, with Monfils prevailing 6-7(7), 7-6(4), 6-3, 6-3. The 43rd-ranked Frenchman has been dealing with injuries throughout the 2013 campaign, but he still sports a decent 28-16 record. So far this week he has taken out Guido Pella, Tommy Robredo, and Fernando Verdasco.
Dolgopolov booked his spot in the last four with scalps of Daniel Gimeno-Traver, Juan Monaco, and Yen-Hsun Lu. Both Dolgopolov and Monfils have played two three-setters along the way. The 38th-ranked Ukrainian is still a disappointing 18-19 for the year and he had been 1-6 since the Wimbledon third round prior to his arrival in Winston-Salem. A match between these mercurial performers could go either way, especially one so late in a tournament when stamina could come into play. Monfils looks motivated and he has a slight edge in current form, so a 19th career title match could be in store for the No. 15 seed.
Pick: Monfils in 3
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(6) Sam Querrey vs. (9) Jurgen Melzer
Melzer and Querrey will be facing each other for the third time in their careers on Friday. Querrey has taken both of their previous meetings; 6-3, 6-2 last summer in Toronto and 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 one week later in Cincinnati. The 6’6” American is a modest 22-17 for the season and he had been 1-5 in his last six matches prior to this week. Querrey appears to be rounding back into form with Winston-Salem wins over Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, Jarkko Nieminen (saved five match points), and Ricardas Berankis.
It has also been an outstanding week for Melzer, who boasts victories over Thiemo De Bakker, Benoit Paire, and a red-hot Dimitry Tursunov. The 32nd-ranked Austrian is still an underachieving 20-21 for the year, which includes a quarterfinal finish in Miami and a fourth-round showing at Wimbledon. Head-to-head history notwithstanding, Melzer may have an advantage based on superior tennis on display in Winston-Salem. The veteran seems to be delivering inspirational stuff under new coach Galo Blanco.
Pick: Melzer in 3
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