The field at the BB&T Atlanta Open is down to the final eight with all four quarterfinals set to take place on Friday. Vasek Pospisil will be seeking his first ATP level semifinal since last Summer when he made the final in Washington, D.C.

(2) Vasek Pospisil vs. (5) Marcos Baghdatis

These two will square off for the first time in their careers. For Pospisil, he is seeking to continue the momentum he captured during his quarter final run at Wimbledon. His second round match against Yen-Hsun Lu was a bit of a roller coaster in the end. Pospisil, as expected, used his superior fire power as he fired down 24 aces in the match. Lu actually won one more point in the match, 97 to 96, but fell 4-6, 7-6, 4-6. The key point came late in the match when Pospisil saved four break points at 4-4 and then broke Lu in the very next game to secure the win.

For Baghdatis, the second round saw him face the huge serve of Australian Sam Groth. Baghdatis was steadier on-serve as he won 81 percent of the points off his first serve. The Cypriot did just enough by securing three service breaks during the match for a 7-5, 3-6, 6-3 win. It was made all the more impressive after Baghdatis fell behind a break in the decisive third set, but was able to break Groth twice in that set to close out the win.

The Difference Maker

Pospisil looked the worse for the wear after winning on Wednesday. The heat index in Atlanta was at 101 degrees. Pospisil suffered from cramps following the second set against Lu and admitted that he thought about not returning for the third set. He cramped up again during the third set and struggled to the finish line for the win.

Baghdatis won't be mistaken for one of the fittest players on tour, but he seemed to handle the conditions well and has an extra match under his belt by playing in the opening round against Austin Krajicek. Forecasts for Friday call for more heat and humidity. Pospisil will have had a day to recover, but unless he can keep the points extremely short against Baghdatis, this looks like an upset possibility for the 5th seed.

Prediction: Baghdatis in three sets