David Goffin for the time being has a stranglehold on one of the last two World Tour Finals spots, and he will try to take another step when he faces Jack Sock on Friday in Basel. A hard-charging Juan Martin Del Potro has a quarterfinal date with Roberto Bautista Agut.
(6) Roberto Bautista Agut vs. (4) Juan Martin Del Potro
Del Potro and Bautista Agut will be squaring off for the fourth time in their careers and for the second time this season when they battle for a place in the Swiss Indoors Basel semifinals on Friday. They just faced each other in round three of the U.S. Open, where Del Potro cruised 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 and improved to 2-1 lifetime in the head-to-head series. Bautista Agut’s lone win came in a five-setter at the 2014 Australian Open, while Del Potro also prevailed 7-5, 7-6(4) at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
The 19th-ranked Argentine eventually reached the quarterfinals this summer in New York, upsetting Roger Federer before succumbing to eventual champion Rafael Nadal. Del Potro has continued to put himself in outside contention for a World Tour Finals berth thanks to a semifinal showing in Shanghai and a title last week in Stockholm. So far in Basel he has ousted Joao Sousa 6-1, 4-6, 6-1 and Julien Benneteau 6-4, 6-4. Bautista Agut booked his spot in the last eight by beating Mikhail Kukushkin 6-0, 6-3 and Ryan Harrison 6-3, 7-6(1). The 21st-ranked Spaniard is 47-19 in 2017 with titles in Chennai and Winston-Salem. At some point this heavy workload is going to catch up with Del Potro, and a rock-solid Bautista Agut may be the beneficiary.
Pick: Bautista Agut in 3
(3) David Goffin vs. (5) Jack Sock
Goffin and Sock will be going head-to-head for the third time in their careers on Friday. Both of their previous encounters have gone Goffin’s way; via third-set retirement at the 2013 Winston-Salem event and 6-4, 6-4 last year in a Rome. Fast forward one season and Goffin remains the favorite in this matchup, as he may be in line for a second consecutive World Tour Finals appearance (he played one match at the O2 Arena in 2016 as an alternate). The 10th-ranked Belgian is 51-20 in 2017 and has made a major push of late with titles in Shenzhen and Tokyo.
Whereas Goffin has coasted in Basel (6-2, 7-5 over Peter Gojowyczk and 6-4, 6-1 over Hyeon Chung), Sock needed three tough sets against both Vasek Pospisil and Robin Haase. The 23rd-ranked American stormed out of the gates this season as one of the best players on tour, but he is a mere 13-15 in his last 28 matches after starting the year 18-3. Goffin’s impeccable defense and superior ball-striking from the back of the court will likely force Sock to go for too much and turn in an error-plagued performance.
Pick: Goffin in 2
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