Juan Pablo Varillas and Matheus Pucinelli De Almeida meet in the quarterfinal at Bogota on Friday. Matheus Pucinelli De Almeida is rolling — 7 straight wins, 9 of 10 in recent play. Juan Pablo Varillas comes in at 6 wins from the last ten.
The two have never played — a first meeting always adds a layer of uncertainty the numbers can't fully capture.
On paper it's close: comparable ratings, comparable serve numbers, small margins everywhere. This one is close to a coin flip, and the lean toward Almeida is exactly that — a lean.