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Players will be eyeing a place in the semifinals on Day 4 of the 2023 Moselle Open.
Three-time Major champion Stan Wawrinka endured another disappointing exit this week. After letting go of a match point during his first-round match against Dominic Thiem at last week's Paris Masters, he did the same yet again.
Wawrinka held a match point during his second round contest against Luca Van Assche here, but he lost the set in the tie-break. The Swiss threw in the towel after that, as an injury forced him to retire.
Karen Khachanov, Fabio Fognini, and Ugo Humbert joined Van Assche in the quarterfinals here. With that, here are the predictions for the matches on Day 4 of the Moselle Open:
#1 - Karen Khachanov vs Alexander Shevchenko
Following a first-round bye, Khachanov scored a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Constant Lestienne to make the last eight of the Moselle Open. It's his 10th quarterfinal of the year and third in a row, having done the same in Paris and Vienna in recent weeks.
Shevchenko defeated Mathias Bourgue and Mate Valkusz to reach this stage. Having started the year ranked outside the top 100, he has steadily improved his ranking with some decent results and is in the top 70 at present.
Shevchenko's a talented youngster, but Khachanov has been on a roll for most of the season. The latter should be able to handle his younger compatriot without a fuss to reach the semifinals.
Predicted winner: Karen Khachanov
#2 - Luca Van Assche vs Pierre-Hugues Herbert
Van Assche showed nerves of steel to save a match point against Wawrinka in the second round here. While the match didn't end on good terms following the latter's retirement, the Frenchman will still be pleased to reach another quarterfinal.
Herbert's wins over Arthur Cazaux and Gijs Brouwer marked his first victories in singles since last year. He's into his 14th career ATP quarterfinal and first since March 2021.
While Herbert is a veteran on the tour, Van Assche is a rising young star. The former's doubles experience, where he's had his greatest success, is always an asset during his singles ties as well.
Van Assche has shown considerable promise so far, and if he maintains a steady level of gameplay, he could get the better of Herbert as well.
Predicted winner: Luca Van Assche
#3 - Ugo Humbert vs Harold Mayot
After a rather tough season, the last couple of months have changed the trajectory of Humbert's year. After the conclusion of the US Open, he made the last eight in Zhuhai and Shanghai while reaching the semifinals in Basel.
Humbert defeated Dominic Thiem 7-6 (5), 4-6, 6-3 in the second round of the Moselle Open to reach yet another quarterfinal. A title here would help him crack the top 20 of the ATP rankings.
Mayot came through the qualifiers and bested Yosuke Watanuki in the first round. He edged past Gregoire Barrere 7-6 (2), 2-6, 7-6 (5) to reach his maiden quarterfinal at the ATP level.
This has been a great run for Mayot, but his experience at this level is quite limited. He'll need to punch way above his weight if he wants a shot at victory against Humbert. The latter is riding high on confidence following his recent results and will be backed to continue his good run of form at the Moselle Open too.
Predicted winner: Ugo Humbert
#4 - Lorenzo Sonego vs Fabio Fognini
Sonego needed three sets to get past Marcos Giron in the first round of the Moselle Open. He then downed qualifier Abedallah Sheybayh in straight sets in the second round.
Fognini saved a couple of match points to score a tough 4-6, 7-6 (7), 7-6 (5) win over Alexander Bublik. He's now into his first quarterfinal since April 2022 and first on hardcourts since October 2019.
Fognini hasn't had much success on the ATP tour this season, with just a total of eight wins under his belt. However, he's showing glimpses of his old form at the Moselle Open so far.
Sonego, while a bit inconsistent, has had a much better year. He'll be favored to come through this clash based on their results unless Fognini raises his level considerably to score another upset win.
Predicted winner: Lorenzo Sonego
