The semi-final spots will be handed out in a depleted draw in Acapulco on Thursday, when Flavio Cobolli and Valentin Vacherot – the top two seeds remaining – take the field. They will face Yibing Wu and Brandon Nakashima respectively.
(Q) Yibing Wu vs. (5) Flavio Cobolli
After a four-match losing streak, Cobolli is starting to show signs of life. The 20th-ranked Italian advanced to the semi-finals of Delray Beach last week and is now in the quarter-finals of the Abierto Mexicano Telcel with outright victories over Rodrigo Pacheco Mendez and Dalibor Svrcina.
Next up for Cobolli in the quarterfinals on Thursday is a first-ever meeting with Wu, who has already won four matches in Acapulco. The world number 142 from China qualified for the main draw with direct defeats to Juan Pablo Ficovich and Rinky Hijikata before defeating Casper Ruud and Sho Shimabukuro in straight sets (three of the four sets in total went to tiebreaks). Talent has never been a question for Wu, only health. The 26-year-old seems to be doing well at the moment, so a minor upset would hardly be surprising.
Choose: Wu in 3
(6) Valentin Vacherot vs. Brandon Nakashima
Vacherot and Nakashima will face each other for the first time in eight years on Thursday. Their only previous meeting came at a hard-court Futures event in 2018, with Nakashima prevailing 7-6 (6), 6-3. Fast forward to 2026 and both guys are in the top 30 on the pro tour. Vacherot lands at number 27 in the world, largely thanks to his shock title in Shanghai last autumn, while Nakashima is close behind in 29th.
Neither man had much trouble securing a place in the quarterfinals this week. Vacherot dropped his opening set to Coleman Wong but then rolled to oust Gael Monfils 6-3, 6-3. Nakashima made quick work of both Elias Ymer (6-3, 6-4) and Patrick Kypson (6-4, 6-4). Through two matches, the 24-year-old American hasn’t been broken once while hitting 16 aces, compared to just one double fault. If he can match Vacherot in serving, Nakashima’s superior play on all courts should make the difference.
Choice: Nakashima in 3
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