Dallas 2023 Day 5: Men's Singles Predictions ft. J.J. Wolf vs Frances Tiafoe, Taylor Fritz vs Marcos Giron
The fifth day of main-draw action at the 2023 ATP 250 Dallas Open on Friday (February 10) will feature the four quarterfinals.
On the fourth day, Emilio Gomez, eighth seed Adrian Mannarino, fifth seed John Isner, Taylor Fritz and Marcos Giron won to complete the quarterfinal lineup.
While Gomez beat fourth seed Miomir Kecmanovic, Mannarino overcame Jordan Thompson. Isner notched up back-to-back wins by seeing off Daniel Altmaier. Fritz prevailed in an all-American battle with Jack Sock, while Giron beat Oscar Otte.
Earlier on Wednesday, second seed Frances Tiafoe, Yibing Wu and J.J. Wolf booked their places in the last eight. They respectively saw off Mackenzie McDonald, third seed Denis Shapovalov and Radu Albot.
On Friday, all eight Round of 16 winners will take to the court for places in the Dallas semifinals. On that note, here's a look at the predictions for all four quarterfinals.
Spoiler Alert: All four last-eight matches will be first-time match-ups.
#1 J.J. Wolf vs Frances Tiafoe
Sixth seed J.J. Wolf will take on second seed Frances Tiafoe in an all-American first quarterfinal in Dallas on Friday.
The 43rd-ranked Wolf is having a marvelous season, having made the Australian Open fourth round last week. He returned to winning ways in Dallas, racking up consecutive wins over Brandon Holt and Radu Albot - both in straight sets - to improve to 6-2 on the season.
Meanwhile, World No. 14 Tiafoe is having an even better campaign than his compatriot. He won his first seven matches of the year en route to the Australian Open third round. Tiafoe then beat compatriot Mackenzie McDonald in straight sets in Dallas to improve to 8-1 on the season.
Tiafoe is clearly riding a purple patch right now, which should see him get past his compatriot and into the last four.
Prediction: Frances Tiafoe in straight sets.
#2 John Isner vs Emilio Gomez
Fifth seed John Isner will look to continue his Dallas campaign when he takes on Ecuador's Emilio Gomez for a place in the last four.
Having exited in the opening round in Auckland and the Australian Open, the 39th-ranked American beat Tseng Chun-hsin in two tiebreaks to get off the mark for the season. Isner followed that up by beating Altmaier, also in straight sets, to make the last eight.
Locked in! 🤠
@JohnIsner secures his spot in the quarter-finals after his victory over Altmaier 6-3 7-6 in Dallas!
@DALOpenTennis | #DALOpen https://t.co/bsoCFgq0Hj
Meanwhile, like Isner, the 102nd-ranked Gomez has also recorded his first two wins of the season in Dallas. The 31-year-old opened his campaign with a three-set win over Gabriel Diallo before also needing to go the distance against fourth seed Kecmanovic.
However, considering the gulf in class between the two players, the big-serving Isner should take this one in straight sets.
Prediction: John Isner in straight sets
#3 Taylor Fritz (top seed in Dallas) vs Marcos Giron
Top seed Taylor Fritz will take on Oscar Otte/Marcos Giron on Friday for a place in the Dallas Open semifinals.
The World No. 8 won four of his five matches at the inaugural United Cup to open his season before suffering a shock second-round exit at the Australian Open. However, Fritz returned to winning ways in Dallas by seeing off his older compatriot Jack Sock in straight sets.
🤠 Adding a little Texas flair to the California boy.
#DALOpen | @Taylor_Fritz97 | @atptour https://t.co/sHcCeZkGSX
Meanwhile, the 55th-ranked Giron improved to 5-3 on the season by seeing off Alex Rybakov and Oscar Otte this week. Earlier, the seventh seed had opened his campaign for the year with a Round of 16 appearance in Adelaide 1 and made the quarterfinals in Auckland.
Fritz has split his two previous meetings with his compatriot. Nevertheless, considering his better recent form than his opponent, the 2022 Wimbledon quarterfinalist should sail through to the last four.
Prediction: Taylor Fritz in straight sets
#4 Yibing Wu vs Adrian Mannarino
Yibing Wu will take on Frenchman Adrian Mannarino in the last quarterfinal of the day to complete the semifinal lineup in Dallas.
The 97th-ranked Wu got off the mark for the season this week, seeing off American Michael Mmoh in three sets. Riding his momentum, the Chinese sensation stunned third seed Denis Shapovalov in straight sets to reach the last eight.
Wu broke into the top 100 last week by making the Cleveland Challenger final.
Meanwhile, Mannarino, ranked 63rd in the world, made the Australian Open second round last week before winning his Davis Cup clash against Hungary. The 34-year-old beat Steve Johnson and Jordan Thompson this week to improve to 5-3 on the season.
Adrian Mannarino claims victory over 
Jordan Thompson 6-2, 7-6. 
Mannarino moving onto the Quarterfinals❗️
🇫🇷 Adrian Mannarino claims victory over 🇦🇺 Jordan Thompson 6-2, 7-6.
#DalOpen https://t.co/8F20l8oduz
On paper, the contest appears to be a mismatch, but Wu is high on confidence after his brilliant win over Shapovalov on Thursday. That could see the Chinese man spring another upset and take out the eighth-seeded Mannarino.
Prediction: Yibing Wu in three sets.