Delray Beach Open 2024 Day 5: Men's singles predictions ft. Taylor Fritz vs Rinky Hijikata
Day 5 of the 2024 Delray Beach Open will feature the singles quarterfinals taking center stage.
The top three seeds - Taylor Fritz, Frances Tiafoe, and Tommy Paul - have all made it to the last eight. Fourth seed Adrian Mannarino bit the dust in the second round, while last year's runner-up Miomir Kecmanovic crashed out in the first round.
Flavio Cobolli has capitalized on his second shot as a lucky loser to reach the quarterfinals. The Australian duo of Rinky Hijikata and Jordan Thompson are in the fray as well, along with Marcos Giron and Patrick Kypson.
Here's a quick look at the predictions for all the quarterfinal matches lined up at the Delray Beach Open:
#1 - Taylor Fritz vs Rinky Hijikata
Fritz reached his first-ever quarterfinal at the Australian Open last month, where defending champion Novak Djokovic bested him yet again. As the top seed at the Delray Beach Open, he was the recipient of a first-round bye.
Fritz then commenced his title defense against Nuno Borges in the second round, who had made it to the fourth round of the season's first Major. It was a competitive match but the American prevailed 7-6 (5), 6-4 in the end.
Hijikata got the better of Liam Broady 6-2, 1-6, 6-1 in the opening round here and upset sixth seed Matteo Arnaldi 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 to reach the quarterfinals. The Australian's journey is likely to come to an end at this stage.
Hijikata is 0-5 against players ranked in the top 10. He has managed to win only one set in his five losses to them. He has also been pushed to three sets in both of his previous matches at the Delray Beach Open. Fritz has the game to beat the Australian, so an adverse result would be quite surprising.
Predicted winner: Taylor Fritz
#2 - Tommy Paul vs Jordan Thompson
Paul arrived at the Delray Beach Open having won his second career title at last week's Dallas Open. As the second seed here, he received a bye into the second round, where he faced fellow American Alex Michelsen.
Paul stormed back from a set down to defeat Michelsen 5-7, 6-4, 7-6 (4). He saved nine of the 11 break points that he faced, which ultimately helped him steer a path to victory.
Thompson knocked out seventh seed Dan Evans 7-5, 6-0 in the first round here. He then bested qualifier Nicolas Moreno de Alboran 6-2, 6-2 to reach his second quarterfinal in as many weeks, having done the same in Dallas last week.
Paul is on a five-match winning streak at the moment. Thompson is having a pretty good season so far and is 9-4 for the year. However, he has had a tough time against higher-ranked opponents in the past.
Out of Thompson's last 10 matches against the top 20 players, he has won two of them, with one of them being a walkover from Ugo Humbert. Paul stayed calm under pressure to beat Michelsen and played a great all-court game to register a solid win. With momentum on his side as well, the American will be expected to continue his unbeaten ways.
Predicted winner: Tommy Paul
#3 - Marcos Giron vs Patrick Kypson
Giron kicked off his Delray Beach Open campaign with a 6-4, 7-6 (5) win over Emilio Nava. He upset fourth seed Adrian Mannarino 6-0, 6-7 (5), 6-1 in the next round to make the last eight.
Kypson tallied his maiden win on the ATP Tour at the expense of fifth seed Miomir Kecmanovic. He defeated the Serb 6-4, 7-6 (3), after which he got the better of Constant Lestienne 6-4, 6-4 to reach his first ever quarterfinal.
While Kypson is starting to make waves on the main tour, Giron is amid his own resurgence. The latter lost to Paul in the final of last week's Dallas Open. The 30-year-old seems to have rediscovered his form after a tough few weeks. He'll be favored to make it through this round and put an end to his younger rival's dream run here.
Predicted winner: Marcos Giron
#4 - Frances Tiafoe vs Falvio Cobolli
After a first-round bye, Tiafoe began his run at the Delray Beach Open with a 7-6 (5), 7-6 (4) win over Radu Albot. Cobolli fell in the qualifying rounds here but got a second lease of life as a lucky loser.
The Italian made the most of the opportunity and defeated Taro Daniel 1-6, 6-2, 7-6 (1) in the first round. Cobolli survived a tough challenge from Zachary Svajda after that to register a 6-4, 6-7 (1), 6-2 win.
Tiafoe is yet to win consecutive matches this season, so this is a great opportunity for Cobolli to reach his maiden ATP semifinal. The American's experience makes him the favorite to triumph in this match-up. However, if there's no improvement in his current form, the Italian has a good shot at victory.
Predicted winner: Frances Tiafoe