A couple of all-seeded showdowns are on the docket for quarterfinal Friday in Gstaad, where No. 1 Stefanos Tsitsipas runs into No. 7 Fabio Fognini. Tomas Martin Etcheverry and Jan-Lennard Struff are also in action.
(1) Stefanos Tsitsipas vs. (7) Fabio Fognini
Tsitsipas and Fognini will be facing each other for the fifth time in their careers when they battle for a semifinal spot at the Swiss Open Gstaad on Friday afternoon. Tsitsipas has won all four of their previous encounters, with a 2-0 record on clay and a 2-0 record on hard courts. He dominated each of the two clay-court contests, winning 6-4, 6-3 at the 2019 Rome Masters and 6-3, 6-0 at the 2022 Monte-Carlo Masters.
At 37 years old, Fognini appears to be in surprisingly resurgent form. The 80th-ranked Italian has advanced at least one round in seven consecutive tour-level events, including a trip to the last 32 at Wimbledon. In Gstaad, he has defeated Titouan Droguet and Juan Pablo Varillas. However, Fognini has struggled against Tsitsipas in the past, and with the Greek player returning to his preferred clay-court surface, Tsitsipas should be able to continue his success. Tsitsipas opened the tournament with a 7-6(6), 6-3 victory over Hamad Medjedovic and is expected to perform well this week.
Pick: Tsitsipas in 2
(5) Jan-Lennard Struff vs. (4) Tomas Martin Etcheverry
This match could be one of the best in the tournament, featuring two in-form players who are vying for U.S. Open seeding. Etcheverry, ranked No. 32 in the world, secured his 20th victory of the year by defeating Botic van de Zandschulp 6-2, 2-6, 6-3 on Tuesday. Struff, ranked No. 37, has a 25-14 record for the year after wins against Albert Ramos-Vinolas and Leandro Riedi, both in tiebreakers.
Etcheverry won their only previous meeting 6-4, 6-2 in the Bordeaux Challenger semifinals two years ago. However, this should not be a major concern for Struff, as the 34-year-old German is currently playing the best tennis of his career. With a clay-court title in Munich already under his belt this season, Struff has been broken just once in two matches this week.
Pick: Struff in 3
