Zverev vs. Nakashima, Shelton vs. Lehecka

A couple of all-seeded showdowns headline the Stuttgart quarterfinals, both in the top half of the draw. No. 1 seed Alexander Zverev faces No. 6 Brandon Nakashima, while No. 3 Ben Shelton battles No. 8 Jiri Lehecka.

(1) Alexander Zverev vs. (6) Brandon Nakashima

Zverev and Nakashima will be going head-to-head for the fourth time in their careers when they clash in the quarterfinals of the BOSS Open on Friday. All three of their previous meetings–all at Grand Slams–have gone to Zverev, who got the job done in mostly routine four-setters at the U.S. Open (2020, 2024) and in straight sets at the 2022 French Open.

With home-court advantage in Stuttgart, the third-ranked German should take care of business yet again in his first ATP 250 tilt with Nakashima. Although grass isn’t Zverev’s best surface, he is more than capable on it and continued to flash those skills with a straight-set defeat of Corentin Moutet on Thursday. Nakashima has advanced by taking out fellow former college stars Jake Fearnley and Learner Tien, but Zverev marks a significant step up in competition. The American’s futility in this matchup will likely continue.

Pick: Zverev in 2

(3) Ben Shelton vs. (8) Jiri Lehecka

Shelton has designs on a debut appearance in the top 10 of the ATP rankings, a feat he will accomplish next Monday if he betters Daniil Medvedev’s result in ‘s-Hertogenbosch. That means the 12th-ranked American could clinch it on Friday with his own win combined with a Medvedev loss to Reilly Opelka. Shelton is in stellar form, as the back half of his clay-court swing included a runner-up performance in Munich and a fourth-round showing at Roland Garros (lost to eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz). Making a quick transition to grass, Stuttgart’s third seed posted a solid 7-6(4), 7-5 victory over Pierre-Hugues Herbert on Wednesday.

Photo credit – Dallas Open

Up next for Shelton on Friday is a first-ever meeting with Lehecka, who has cooled off considerably since a hot start to the season. The 33rd-ranked Czech won his first eight matches–albeot a whopping three of those by retirement–and has compiled a modest 12-11 record in his last 23. Lehecka won a mere three games against Jannik Sinner in round three at Roland Garros, but he has looked much better so far in Stuttgart with straight-set wins over Benjamin Bonzi and Jan-Lennard Struff. Of course, an in-form Shelton is an entirely different beast. From a talent standpoint this is pretty much an even matchup, but Lehecka is more likely than Shelton to have a costly hiccup on serve at an inopportune time.

Pick: Shelton in 3