Technically there were two major shocks in Dallas on Wednesday, though one was only a shock in ranking. Dan Evans and Grega Zemlja both defeated seeded opponents to reach the quarter-finals, whilst Tim Smyczek recovered from a second set slip to move within three matches of defending his crown.
Though Dan Evans beating eighth seed Bjorn Fratangelo 6-2, 6-3 must go down as shock, it isn’t really. Evans now leads the head-to-head 4-0 after the result in Dallas. The Briton broke twice in the first set and once in the second to oust the twenty-two year-old American in just over an hour.
Second seed Kyle Edmund joined Evans in the quarter-finals as he eased past Irishman James McGee 6-3, 6-4. The players traded breaks early in each set, but it was Edmund who managed to find the additional break required in both to move forward.
Tim Smyczek had raced into an early lead against compatriot Ryan Harrison, with the defending champion scoring a bagel in the opening set. Harrison, to his credit, fought back and broke the fourth seed in the final game of the second set. Smyczek eventually recovered recovered in the third to win 6-0, 5-7, 6-4.
Francis Tiafoe followed his excellent win against Sam Groth with a good win over tricky Russian Mikhail Vaks. The qualifier matched Tiafoe through the first set before Tiafoe pounced in the last game. Vaks produced his own break in set two, but gave two up, allowing the American to set up a meeting with sixth seed Tatsumo Ito, who ensured that Henri Laaksonen’s poor start to the season continued. The Swiss has only one win on the year, from his first round encounter with Marek Michalicka.
Marinko Matosevic continued his comeback from injury, benefiting from an error-strewn display from Argentine Marco Trungelliti to win 6-4, 6-3, though Matosevic did appear to receive treatment for a groin injury. Finally, Grega Zemlja scored the other upset as he beat seventh seed John-Patrick Smith 4-6, 6-3, 6-4. Zemlja did not earn quite as many aces as he enjoyed in his first round meeting with Jason Jung (33) but did enough to oust the Australian.
Benjamin Becker takes on Ernesto Escobedo in the final second round match in the evening session.
Quarter final Analysis and Picks (in bold):
Grega Zemlja vs Kyle Edmund: The Briton is in good form having not dropped a set in his opening two matches, and will be a stronger returned than Zemlja has faced through his first two matches. Edmund is looking to gain some points and regain his Top 100 ranking. Given that he earned no points in this week last year, he looks on course to do just that.
Francis Tiafoe vs Tatsumo Ito: Tiafoe appears to very much be the danger-man of this draw. Unseeded, he has already taken out top seed Sam Groth, and negotiated an in-form qualifier. Ito has had a mixed start to the year, and will have to be at his very best to battle with Tiafoe.
Benjamin Becker OR Ernesto Escobedo vs Dan Evans: A hugely important match takes place before we even know who Evans faces, and the personalities could be very different. He could end up facing a tour veteran, or a young up-and-comer. I’m inclined to back Evans over either player though.
Marinko Matosevic vs Tim Smyczek : The Australian was lucky against Radu Albot and beat a clearly below-par Marco Trungelliti. Defending champion Tim Smyczek is likely to be a step too far at this stage of his comeback, with the American in decent but not amazing form as his second set collapse against Ryan Harrison evidenced. Be wary as well Matosevic received treatment for an apparent groin injury in the second set against Trungelliti and if that continues to bother him, it could be a very short match.
