Preview: Medvedev Meets Eubanks, Khachanov & Cerundolo Clash In Miami QFs | ATP Tour

Quarter-final motion on the Miami Open presented by Itau continues Thursday, when two scheduled matches together with the postponed Carlos Alcaraz-Taylor Fritz conflict are on the cardboard.

Daniil Medvedev is likely one of the most in-form gamers on Tour, however the fourth seed must finish the dream run of residence favorite Christopher Eubanks in Florida if he desires to succeed in his fifth consecutive ATP Tour semi-final. In the meantime Karen Khachanov appears to be like to again up his fourth-round victory towards Stefanos Tsitsipas when he faces 2022 semi-finalist Francisco Cerundolo.

ATPTour.com breaks down Thursday’s quarter-final motion in southern Florida.

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[4] Daniil Medvedev vs. [Q] Christopher Eubanks (USA)

Confronted with a post-midnight begin to his fourth-round match towards Quentin Halys attributable to rain, Daniil Medvedev was medical in claiming a straight-sets victory towards the Frenchman within the early hours of Wednesday morning. The fourth seed will hope for extra of the identical on Thursday when he takes on Eubanks, the shock package deal of the 2023 Miami Open presented by Itau.

The American qualifier has loved an emotional run to his maiden ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final, even shedding tears after breaking the Prime 100 of the Pepperstone ATP Stay Rankings for the primary time along with his third-round triumph towards Gregoire Barrere. Since edging Lukas Klein in a deciding-set tie-break within the remaining spherical of qualifying, Eubanks has dropped only one set in 4 main-draw matches.

Taking up the 18-time tour-level titlist Medvedev guarantees to be his hardest problem but, nevertheless. The red-hot World No. 5 has gained 21 of his previous 22 matches, along with his relentless retrieving from the baseline the dominant characteristic of his sport as he lifted trophies in Rotterdam, Doha and Dubai and reached the championship match in Indian Wells.

The transfer to the quicker circumstances of Miami seems to have boosted the four-time Masters 1000 champion’s capacity to hit via opponents. Medvedev has struck 45 winners and dropped simply 9 video games throughout his two matches in Florida to this point.

Locked in 🔒@DaniilMedwed overpowers Quentin Halys to safe the victory 6-4 6-2 🙌@MiamiOpen | #MiamiOpen pic.twitter.com/poWOHDeypx

— ATP Tour (@atptour) March 29, 2023

The end result of his first ATP Head2Head assembly with Eubanks might depend upon the 6’7” American’s capacity to strain Medvedev with exact serving, though the fourth seed will hope his famend deep return place may also help nullify his opponent’s largest weapon. One other key for Eubanks shall be maintaining calm within the largest match of his profession thus far.

The 26-year-old’s fourth-round win towards Adrian Mannarino marked the primary time he has gained 4 consecutive tour-level matches. But Eubanks says he’s feeling an increasing number of assured each time he steps on courtroom at Onerous Rock Stadium.

“The [nerves] are much less,” he stated after downing Mannarino. “I went on the market at the moment feeling, ‘Let’s simply go on the market and play tennis, let’s exit right here and have enjoyable’. This week has already been a dream come true… I am very happy to dwell with the outcomes so long as I can exit and attempt to execute in addition to I can, and actually don’t have any regrets about how I performed.”

[14] Karen Khachanov vs. [25] Francisco Cerundolo (ARG)

Khachanov is changing into accustomed to competing within the latter levels of the largest occasions on Tour. Having reached back-to-back Grand Slam semi-finals on the 2022 US Open and January’s Australian Open, the 26-year-old marched previous second seed Stefanos Tsitsipas on Tuesday to safe his first ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final look since Montreal in 2019.

The four-time tour-level titlist has rediscovered his early-season kind shortly contemplating he was compelled to take a while off attributable to bodily points within the wake of his Melbourne run. Khachanov will hope to take care of that momentum on Thursday in his second ATP Head2Head assembly with the No. 31-ranked Cerundolo.

“After the Australian Open, I had some situation with an harm,” stated Khachanov, whose straight-sets win towards Tsitsipas snapped his 23-match losing-streak towards Prime 10 opponents. “I got here again in Dubai with out having performed many matches and I’m simply pleased to proceed that degree. I simply wish to proceed that method, benefit from the course of, and benefit from the journey. It continues.”

Khachanov’s ratio of 25 winners to 9 unforced errors towards Tsitsipas definitely suggests he’s a person excessive on confidence, and the World No. 16 will doubtless want to breed that kind towards Cerundolo in a gathering between two gamers who excel from the baseline. Khachanov wanted three units to assert victory within the pair’s solely earlier tour-level assembly final yr in Montreal, and he shall be cautious of an opponent who boasts a stellar historical past at Onerous Rock Stadium.

Cerundolo’s fourth-round win towards Lorenzo Sonego improved his document in Miami to 9-1. He defeated Gael Monfils and Frances Tiafoe en path to the semi-finals on occasion debut in 2022, and the Argentine was ruthless in dispatching fifth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime on this yr’s third spherical.

In Auger-Aliassime and Sonego, Cerundolo defeated opponents famend for moving into courtroom to strike winners at each alternative. In contast, Cerundolo can count on Khachanov to settle into prolonged rallies to supply a stern check of the Argentine’s bodily mettle. Can the 24-year-old reply with one other dose of Miami magic?