Pablo Cuevas barged into the quarterfinals of the Mutua Madrid Open with a gritty 7-5, 0-6, 6-1 victory over Benoit Paire on Thursday. It has been a terrific run for Cuevas who upset Nicolas Mahut in the second round of this tournament. He will look to keep the momentum going when he locks horns with talented youngster Alexander Zverev in the quarterfinals this coming Friday.
For Cuevas to grab the all-important victory today, he will need to continue his excellent play on the service end. He is 27th on Tour in serve rating with a 271.9 clip. Fatigue may be a factor, though, for Cuevas in today’s ballgame as all of his matches in this tournament have gone the distance. He has logged a total of six hours and 22 minutes of playing time in his first three matches.
The future is now! Alexander Zverev stunned No. 11 seed Tomas Berdych in the third round on Thursday, beating the Czech star in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4. Zverev has been in fine form on clay this season, winning each of his last seven matches on the slow surface. He won his first ATP title on home soil just last week, defeating Argentine qualifier Guido Pella in the BMW Open final.
Key to Zverev’s sudden rise has been his impeccable return. The German star is 19th in the ATP Tour in return rating with a 149.6 clip. He will look to create some break chances against Cuevas whom he will be meeting for the first time in his career.
