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PREVIEW: ATP Tour Stockholm Open selected quarterfinals

Damien Kayat previews the ATP Tour Stockholm Open selected quarterfinals between Andy Murray and Tommy Paul as well as Arthur Rinderknech and Denis Shapovalov.

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Damien Kayat previews the ATP Tour Stockholm Open selected quarterfinals between Andy Murray and Tommy Paul as well as Arthur Rinderknech and Denis Shapovalov.

Two women looking excitedly at cellphone

2021 ATP Tour
ATP 250 Series
Stockholm Open
Kungliga tennishallen, Stockholm, Sweden (Indoor Hardcourts)
Selected Quarterfinals- 11th November

Andy Murray (52/100) vs Tommy Paul (29/20)

Now that meant something. I have often doubted Andy Murray this season. It’s not a question of ability. I have just struggled to see what the 34-year-old hopes to gain from all his middling performances. But to beat the up-and-coming Jannik Sinner in straight sets was monumental. Lest we forget, Sinner still harboured hopes of sneaking into the ATP Nitto Finals. But the 34-year-old Scot scuppered those dreams with an amazing display, turning back the hands of time and showing a ruthlessness that we haven’t seen in quite some time. Having said all that, that result could be on the racquet of Sinner. Perhaps the pressure of the situation and the sheer amount of tennis caught up to the young Italian. This was Murray’s 2nd top 10 win this season. And just look what happened after he beat Hubert Hurkacz in Vienna a few weeks back. He meekly bowed out to Alcaraz Garfia in the next round. Can Murray still string together consecutive potent performances?

Next up Murray will face 24-year-old American Tommy Paul. Paul has actually enjoyed steady progress in 2021, breaking into the world’s top 50 for the very first time. He actually beat Alex Zverev on the Acapulco hardcourts last year. Paul has been in really good form over the last few months, winning nine of his last 13 matches. During that run he enjoyed an excellent 4th round run at Indian Wells. That run saw him pick up arguably his biggest career victory, as he took down hardcourt dynamo Andrey Rublev in three brilliant sets. And he is fresh off a commanding straight sets victory against his in-form compatriot Taylor Fritz. Paul will know that Murray has struggled to register consecutive commanding performances. His clay-court abilities (he reached the semi-finals at Emilia-Romagna earlier this year) should allow him to compete with Murray from the back of the court.

The Verdict: Murray to win in three at 14/5- This will be the first career meeting between these two. I know it’s tempting to get high on the Murray train after that Sinner win. But we saw a similar scenario in Vienna a few weeks back. I don’t think this will be as comfortable as people think. Ultimately, I think Murray’s greater hitting power should see him progress.

Arthur Rinderknech (43/100) vs Denis Shapovalov (18/10)

26-year-old Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech has looked really solid on the hardcourts of Stockholm this week. He actually broke a three-match losing streak in his opening encounter, with Alexander Bublik eventually retiring after being crushed in the first set. He then brushed aside Josef Kovalik with relative ease in his round of 16 match. Rinderknech is an enigmatic figure who has failed to really make an impression on the tour. But the Frenchman enjoyed a solid trio of results in that odd post-Wimbledon clay-court swing. He reached the quarterfinals in Bastad and Gstaad before reaching his maiden ATP semi-final at the Austrian Open. Victory here will undoubtedly be the biggest win of Arthur Rinderknech’s career.

Defending champion Denis Shapovalov kicked off his title defence with a ‘fairly’ straightforward victory over Vavassori. This improved his Stockholm Open record to 6-1. This has been an extremely frustrating year for the talented Canadian. It looked as if his career was ready to launch after reaching his maiden Grand Slam semi-final at Wimbledon. But since Wimbledon his win-loss record has been a dismal 5-8 (prior to this event). But perhaps this tournament- where he won his one and only ATP title in 2019- will help him regain some lost confidence. If he were to reach the final this week, his win-loss record for 2021 would go to 30-22. That would make this the 3rd time that he will have registered 30 victories in an ATP Tour season.

The Verdict: Shapovalov to win in straight sets at 6/5- I was tempted to go for slightly more value and back Shapovalov in three. Rinderknech’s victory over Bublik was a potential dealmaker for me. But Bublik’s injury concerns have to be taken into consideration. Also, most of the Frenchman’s best results have come on clay. The Canadian should dominate this match.

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