Marbella Challenger 2022: Pedro Cachin vs Philipp Kohlschreiber preview, head-to-head and prediction | Andalucia Open

Cachin is looking to reach the semifinals of the Andalucia Open on Friday
Cachin is looking to reach the semifinals of the Andalucia Open on Friday

Match details

Fixture: Pedro Cachin vs Philipp Kohlschreiber

Date: 1 April 2022

Tournament: Andalucia Open

Round: Quarterfinals

Venue: Marbella, Spain

Category: ATP Challenger tour 125

Surface: Red clay

Prize money: €134,920

Live telecast: Challenger TV

Pedro Cachin vs Philipp Kohlschreiber preview

Pedro Cachin and Philipp Kohlschreiber will face off in the quarterfinals of the Andalucia Open in Marbella on Friday.

Cachin, who dampened the much-awaited return of former US Open champion Dominic Thiem in the first round, defeated Manuel Guinard 6-4, 6-0 on Thursday to reach the last eight of the Challenger event.

The Argentine registered seven aces and converted four break points against Guinard as he secured his second quarter-final appearance of the year after reaching the semifinals of the Santa Cruz Challenger in Bolivia back in January.

Cachin, who is seeking his maiden career title at any level of the sport, will be determined to go all the way after a lower-back injury forced him to retire in the opening round of the Challenger del Biobío in Chile in his previous tournament. This is also his first quarter-final appearance in Marbella after early exits in 2018 and 2019.

Kohlschreiber, meanwhile, mounted a comeback to oust third-seeded Spaniard Carlos Taberner 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the Round of 16. With the scoreline tied at one set apiece, the veteran German broke serve at the start of the final set and went on to control the match after taking a 2-0 lead.

Kohlschreiber also rallied from a set down to beat Jiri Lehecka in the opening round. The former World No. 16 has now reached his first quarterfinal of the season.

The winner of this match will play either third seed Pablo Andujar of Spain or Chinese Taipei’s Tseng Chun-hsin in Saturday’s semifinals.

Pedro Cachin vs Philipp Kohlschreiber head-to-head

This will be the first-ever meeting between the two players, so the head-to-head currently stands at 0-0.

Pedro Cachin vs Philipp Kohlschreiber prediction

Philipp Kohlschreiber in action at the 2022 Australian Open
Philipp Kohlschreiber in action at the 2022 Australian Open

Cachin, 26, has proven in this tournament that he can beat higher-ranked opponents and has done so in straight sets. The Argentinian's game is suited to clay and he has achieved his best results on the surface.

In contrast, Kohlschreiber went the full distance in his first two matches. While the 38-year-old is a familiar name on the ATP circuit, he hasn’t won a title since 2017 and prior to this competition, hadn’t gotten past the second round this year.

Kohlschreiber has fared well on all surfaces, although he has won most of his titles on clay. The German possesses strong groundstrokes off both wings and is solid from the baseline.

Cachin, however, has played more tournaments on clay this year and this is his third stint in Marbella while Kohlschreiber is making his first appearance in the tournament.

Considering that Cachin has spent less time on the court, has more experience playing in Marbella and is younger and more agile than his German opponent, he should be able to see his way through to the semifinals.

Prediction: Pedro Cachin to win in three sets.