The quarterfinals of this year’s Tokyo tournament will feature quite the star-studded field, led by world #1 and recent US Open champion Carlos Alcaraz but also featuring US #1 Taylor Fritz and other top players like Holger Rune and Casper Ruud. It will certainly be a very exciting conclusion to this event, even if Alcaraz is clearly the favorite.
ATP Tokyo Quarterfinal Predictions
Taylor Fritz vs Sebastian Korda
Head-to-head: Fritz 2-1 Korda
While some could argue Korda is the more talented of the two Americans, Fritz is undoubtedly the much better overall player, having become a very consistent top player who often goes deep in big events despite invariably coming up short in the end. That said, he has struggled so far this week in Tokyo, perhaps partly due to his efforts in the Laver Cup last weekend and the short turnaround period. If Korda can produce a high-level performance, he can definitely get another top 10 win here.
Prediction: Korda in 3
Casper Ruud vs Aleksandar Vukic
Head-to-head: Vukic 1-0 Ruud
Vukic won with relative ease when the pair faced in Shanghai last year and the truth is that ever since winning Madrid Ruud’s performances and results have been extremely disappointing, so a repeat of that result wouldn’t be a shock at all. That said, at Laver Cup last weekend and in the first two rounds here Ruud showed a level much closer to his best and if he keeps that up he should avenge that Shanghai defeat here.
Prediction: Ruud in 2
Holger Rune vs Jenson Brooksby
Head-to-head: first meeting
After a very tough period in his life and career, Brooksby has been steadily rising back up the rankings this year and reestablishing himself as a very difficult opponent for just about anyone. Rune, on the other hand, keeps underperforming relative to expectations; his last strong showing was at this 500 category, with a title in Barcelona back in April and he will try to replicate that here. If he can play anywhere close to his best tennis, Rune should prevail here but if not Brooksby’s consistency could easily frustrate him.
Prediction: Rune in 3
Carlos Alcaraz vs Brandon Nakashima
Head-to-head: Alcaraz 1-0 Nakashima
Right now, Alcaraz is unquestionably the best player on the planet, and it feels like it will take a special kind of performance to beat him, a level that Nakashima, as well as he has played so far this week, is extremely unlikely to reach. Alcaraz is undoubtedly the favorite to win this event and it’s very hard to see him get stopped at this stage. Perhaps only an Alcaraz ankle injury gives Nakashima a chance.
Prediction: Alcaraz in 2
Main Photo Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
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