The Atlanta Open continues on Friday with the quarterfinal round at Atlantic Station. The quarterfinal is packed with talent, including six seeded players remaining going into Friday. Four of which are in the top-5. John Isner still remains, as he looks to defend his ATP Atlanta title from last year.
Isner is the No. 2 seed in the tournament and the top seed after No. 1 Reilly Opelka withdraws from Atlanta. He was scheduled to face Ilya Ivashka in the Round of 16, but had to exit due to an undisclosed injury. Ivashka received a walkover to the quarterfinals after the news broke.
Ivashka catches a big break with Opelka dropping out of the tournament. He likely loses that one and doesn’t have an opportunity to see Tommy Paul if Opelka doesn’t withdraw from the tournament.
I’m not so certain that Opelka would have won this tournament, healthy or otherwise. Isner won the Atlanta Open over Brandon Nakashima last year. That was too easy, as Isner emerged with a 7-6, 7-5 win off 21 aces.
Getting into a back-and-forth match is not what you want to do against Paul. He will wear down his foes with his ability to stay focused late in matches.
Paul was rolling at Wimbledon, with three straight wins in straight sets. However, Cameron Norrie was too tough in the Round of 16. After three straight sweeps, Paul lost in straight sets.
The Atlanta Open tournament is a hard-court tournament, which provides players with some work on this surface before the US Open at the end of August. Novak Djokovic will not be participating after passing on the vaccine.
Paul is doing well against this inferior field, but he tends to become too one-dimensional against better players on the ATP Tour. Ivashka is not a top-tier opponent for Paul, though. Head below for our free Ivashka vs. Paul prediction at the Atlanta Open on July 29, 2022.
Ilya Ivashka vs. Tommy Paul ATP Atlanta Open Live Betting Odds:
| Players | Spread | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ilya Ivashka | +2.5 (-120) | +150 | Over 23 (-110) |
| Tommy Paul | -2.5 (-110) | -180 | Under 23 (-120) |
Ivashka vs. Paul Prediction:
Tommy Paul isn’t going to blow Ivashka off the court in Atlanta this afternoon. He isn’t a power player, but sets his serves up nicely for what is to come next. Paul is talented at keeping his opponents off balance and guessing.
Paul was rolling through Wimbledon before he got caught up against the higher-ranked Cameron Norrie. He beat three unseeded players easily, but No. 9 seeded Norrie got the best of No. 30 Paul.
His last three losses are against Matteo Berrettini, Alex de Minaur, and Norrie. All three would handle Ivashka convincingly on an average day.
The American has a recent 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 win at the Eastbourne International over No. 2 seed Jannik Sinner. A similar performance likely puts Paul clear in straight sets over Ivashka.
Ivashka is 14-14 this season with a record of 5-5 on the hard court. He’s 11-12 in 23 sets entering the quarterfinal against Paul. Expect Paul to lay down a trap that Ivashka can’t escape out of in this match. If he’s interested in going to the next round, this should be a win for the American.
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