After an extraordinary five days of action at the Rio Open, the semi-finals promise to deliver high-quality matches. Here are my predictions for the 2019 Rio Open Semifinals.
2019 Rio Open Semifinals Predictions
Pablo Cuevas vs Felix Auger Aliassime
The most exciting semi-final sees exciting Canadian prospect Felix Auger Aliassime take on experienced Uruguayan Pablo Cuevas. The Canadian has enjoyed the best week of his career so far, playing some inspired tennis. His impressive list of scalps includes Fabio Fognini in the first round and an impressive straight sets win over current NextGen player Juame Munar. The Canadians game is very versatile and he definitely has the potential to reach the top of the game. Pablo Cuevas has established himself as one of the best clay court players in the world and the Uruguayan has won the title in Istanbul on the surface. An exceptional mover, Cuevas is a tough player to hit through from the baseline. Cuevas has played some great tennis this week and has recorded a number of impressive wins, including over Juan Ignacio Londero and Albert Ramos Vinolas. This is the first meeting between the pair and I’m predicting a tight three set match, with the Uruguayan getting the win.
Prediction: Cuevas in 3
Laslo Djere vs Aljaz Bedene
Laslo Djere has enjoyed a fine week of tennis so far. He set the tone for his great form in his first round match against Dominic Thiem, with a straight sets win over the Austrian. Further victories against Taro Daniel and talented youngster Casper Ruud has lead to him making the semi-finals. In Aljaz Bedene, the Serbian faces another tough opponent. The Slovenian is the second highest ranked player left in the tournament and all the pressure will be on him to make his first ATP 500 final. The Slovenian showed a lot of guts in his quarterfinal win over Hugo Dellien, recovering from a set down to get the win. The pair have met twice before with Bedene winning on both occasion and I expect another three-setter, with the Slovenian getting the win.
Prediction: Bedene in 3
