Friday’s ATP singles quarterfinals feature six of the top 13 players in the world. By contrast, in the WTA singles draw, the top five seeds have all been eliminated, and only two seeds remain.
Each day, this preview will analyze the two most intriguing matchups, while highlighting other notable matches on the schedule. Friday’s play gets underway at 11:00am local time.
Daniil Medvedev (1) vs. Taylor Fritz (11) – Not Before 1:00pm on Center Court
Medvedev has earned both his wins this week in straight sets, while Fritz came back from a set down on Thursday to defeat Daniil’s close friend Andrey Rublev. The 24-year-old American is having the best year of his career, with a record of 35-13. Taylor is on the verge of breaking into the top 10, and would be even closer to doing so had he received points for his run to the Wimbledon quarterfinals. He earned his first Masters 1000 title at another North American hard court event earlier this year in Indian Wells. In their first career meeting, Fritz has the firepower to pull off the upset, especially with a partisan crowd behind him. But on a hard court, Medvedev remains the favorite to reach his third semifinal in Cincinnati.
Cameron Norrie (9) vs. Carlos Alcaraz (3) – Last on Center Court
This will be their fourth meeting within the past year, and thus far, all three have gone to Alcaraz. That includes straight sets wins at the US Open and Indian Wells, and a three-set victory in Madrid on clay. As impressive as Norrie has been across the past 18 months, no one has skyrocketed to new heights this past year like Alcaraz. The 19-year-old is now 44-8 in 2022. However, the sheer amount of tennis the youngster has played this year is concerning, despite his high level of fitness. And many of those matches have been grueling, dramatic affairs. Given his recent history with Norrie, Carlitos should be favored, though an upset by the British No.1 would not be a shocking result.
Other Notable Matches on Friday:
Madison Keys vs. Elena Rybakina – Keys upset world No.1 Iga Swiatek on Thursday. Both Keys and Rybakina are yet to drop a set this week. When they played at this year’s Roland Garros, Madison prevailed in a third-set tiebreak.
Ajla Tomljanovic (Q) vs. Petra Kvitova – Tomljanovic has survived four consecutive three-setters, going back to the last round of qualifying on Sunday. Kvitova took out Ons Jabeur on Thursday.
Stefanos Tsitsipas (4) vs. John Isner – Tsitsipas lead their head-to-head 4-2, and has taken their last four meetings. Stefanos is vying for his third consecutive semifinal at this event. Isner was a finalist here in 2013.
Jessica Pegula (7) vs. Caroline Garcia – Pegula is now No.3 in the year-to-date rankings, with a record of 30-15. However, Garcia has slightly bested that record, as she’s now 32-15 this season. Jess is 2-1 against Caroline, though the Frenchwoman claimed their only meeting in 2022.
Felix Auger-Aliassime (7) vs. Borna Coric (Q) – Auger-Aliassime saved two match points on Thursday night in a comeback victory over Jannik Sinner. Coric followed up his upset of Rafael Nadal by defeating another Spaniard, Roberto Bautista Agut. Felix and Borna split two encounters back in 2019.
Friday’s full Order of Play is here.
