We are down to the quarter final stage of the ATP Cincinnati tournament with all four matches at the Western & Southern Open being played on what looks like being a tasty day of tennis as we approach the business end of the latest Masters 1000 event.
Six of the leading eight seeds have made it through to the quarter final stage so we certainly shouldn’t be lacking in quality over the course of the day and into the evening. Friday promises to be an excellent day of tennis.
Day Session
Andrey Rublev vs Benoit Paire
The opening quarter final comes along on Center Court when one of the players of the year in Andrey Rublev meets the mercurial French player Benoit Paire who is in the middle of a run few might have seen coming at the beginning of the week.
With the news that Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer have ended their season, Rublev will head to the US Open and the ATP World Tour Finals as a leading light to win the title and a win here would cement that position. Paire is as frustrating as they come both as a fan and a punter as you never know what you are going to get from him. He does like to entertain a crowd though so this match being on the main court might not do him any harm. I expect Rublev to win this but he hasn’t quite been as convincing as I would like this week so I’m happy to sit this one out.
Daniil Medvedev vs Pablo Carreno Busta
The other match in the day session on Friday sees the number one seed Daniil Medvedev looking to continue his quest for a second Masters 1000 title in as many weeks when the Russian takes on the man who beat him at the Olympics in the form of Pablo Carreno Busta.
Carreno Busta is actually in exceptional form at the minute and it wouldn’t be a complete surprise were he to turn Medvedev over again here. Out in Tokyo the conditions were a big part of their match with Medvedev not coping with the intense humidity too well. Conditions won’t be a million miles different here so it will be interesting if that dynamic plays a part in the match. The other thing of note would be the amount of tennis Medvedev has played in the last week or so. I’m tempted to take the Russian on but I’d prefer to have the extra game on the handicap rather than the 3.5. If forced to I’d side with PCB but I can leave this one alone.
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Night Session
Felix Auger-Aliassime vs Stefanos Tsitsipas
Two of the younger brigade who will be assigned the task of playing the Center Court night session match when the exciting Canadian player Felix Auger-Aliassime takes on the Greek star Stefanos Tsitsipas who is another who could make huge strides in his career over the next few weeks with three of the big four missing.
Auger-Aliassime had a good win over Matteo Berrettini on Thursday evening and will surely take the game to Tsitsipas here. The Greek went three sets on Thursday night before getting the better of Lorenzo Sonego so he could do with a swifter assignment here but isn’t likely to get it. I sense this one will be won and lost at the key moments which would make me side with Tsitsipas but I’m not as convinced about it as I’d like to be in order to place a bet so I can sit this one out as well.
Casper Ruud vs Alexander Zverev
There is one men’s match over on Grandstand on Friday evening and it is the one between the Norwegian number one Casper Ruud and the Olympic champion Alexander Zverev for a place in the semi-final where both men would compete in that stage of this tournament for the first time.
Ruud continues to make progress in this tournament to continue his fine recent form. I have to admit I had him down as a clay court machine who hoovers up ranking points on the dirt and then survives the other times of the year to stay relevant but I’m beginning to rethink that assessment because he has looked quite at home here and these are quick conditions in Cincinnati. I think he can lay it down to Zverev here because he has nothing to lose and the slightly slower conditions in the evening will suit him. Zverev will be full of confidence after his Olympic triumph and has come through the draw nicely so far this week but I’m not convinced that second serve issue has gone away and I think Ruud can take advantage of that and if not win the match, run Zverev close.
Tips
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