Quarterfinal Friday at the Stuttgart ATP 250 features an all-seeded showdown between Jiri Lehecka and Frances Tiafoe. Alexander Bublik is also looking for a place in the semis as he prepares to face Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard.
(4) Jiri Lehecka vs. (6) Frances Tiafoe
Tiafoe is looking to bounce back from a brutal French Open loss as begins his grass-court swing at the BOSS Open. The 26th-ranked American led eventual semifinalist Matteo Arnaldi two sets to one and 4-1, 40-15 in the fourth only to fall in a five-set marathon. Tiafoe has rebounded nicely so far in Stuttgart, where he is a former champion (2023). The No. 6 seed opened with a 7-6(3), 4-6, 6-4 victory over Daniel Altmaier before easing past Rinky Hijikata 6-4, 6-4.
Up next for Tiafoe on Friday is a quarterfinal contest against Lehecka, who trails the head-to-head series 2-1. They met on grass at this same tournament in 2023, when Tiafoe got the job done 7-6(2), 6-4 on his way to the title. The 28-year-old also prevailed 6-4, 6-7(10), 7-6(5) at the 2024 Cincinnati Masters before Lehecka dominated their most recent showdown 6-3, 6-2 in 2025 Davis Cup competition. The 12th-ranked Czech needed a third-set tiebreaker to outlast James Duckworth on Thursday, but improvement can be expected with his first grass-court of the summer in his rearview mirror.
Pick: Lehecka in 3
Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard vs. (3) Alexander Bublik
Bublik and Mpetshi Perricard will be squaring off for the fourth time in their careers on Friday. Mpetshi Perricard leads the head-to-head series 2-1 after prevailing twice on clay — 6-4, 7-5 in the 2024 Lyon semifinals and 7-6(6), 6-4 last spring in Hamburg. Bublik won their first encounter 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 three years ago on the indoor hard courts of Antwerp.
You would obviously think that Mpetshi Perricard is a force on grass based on his humongous serve, and that still could turn out to be the case. Early returns on the surface, however, have been lukewarm aside from a fourth-round performance at Wimbledon in 2024. It’s worth noting, though, that’s the 6’7” Frenchman needed a lucky-loser spot in the main draw before that run began. Mpetshi Perricard has advanced this week with wins over lucky loser Roman Safiullin (in a third-set tiebreaker) and qualifier Gauthier Onclin, while Bublik beat Jan-Lennard Struff 7-6(3), 3-6, 6-2 on Wednesday. The 11th-ranked Kazakh is superior form and has a more encouraging grass-court history, so he should advance.
Pick: Bublik in 3