Out of the seeds, only Borna Coric and Richard Gasquet survived until the semifinals. Joining them in the final four will be Adrian Mannarino and a first-time ATP Tour competitor at this stage of a tournament, Jordan Thompson. Who will progress to the Sunday’s final?
ATP Rosmalen Semifinal Predictions
Jordan Thompson vs Richard Gasquet
Head-to-head: First meeting
Thompson has been proving me wrong the whole week. The Australian is consistently one of the best players on the ATP Challenger Tour, but lacks the level needed to really progress to the main tour. There are a lot of grass courts down under, and it’s somewhat fitting that he makes his maiden ATP semifinal on this surface. In the quarterfinals, he beat his compatriot Alex De Minaur, taking advantage of the faster conditions by finishing plenty of points at the net.
Gasquet was a bit of a question mark prior to the tournament, having missed three months this year due to hernia surgery. However, the Frenchman has been really tuning his game up this week, beating the likes of Mikhail Kukushkin and Nicolas Jarry. Gasquet is a two-time Wimbledon semifinalist (2007, 2015) and undoubtedly a much more talented player. The legendary one-handed backhand is a very steady weapon. He put aside the questions about fitness, so the Frenchman has no business losing to Jordan Thompson.
Prediction: Gasquet in 2
Borna Coric vs Adrian Mannarino
Head-to-head: Mannarino 2-0
Both were very close to losing today. Coric was down 2-5 in the third set to Christian Garin and somehow dug deep and came back to take it in a tiebreak, saving a match-point in the process. Mannarino was 4-6 3-4 and a break down against David Goffin but managed to get himself together and take the win. The Frenchman is an excellent grass court player. He has reached the Wimbledon fourth round three times and is a two-time consecutive runner-up at Antalya. Quite surprisingly, Mannarino is still seeking his first title, having lost all six finals he took part in.
Coric’s grass court results are rollercoaster-ish. He managed just one win at Wimbledon in four attempts but is the current holder of the Halle title (defeated Roger Federer in last year’s final). The Croat relies on trading groundstrokes and likes a steady rhythm, and it’s Mannarino’s job not to let him settle in. The Frenchman’s game is pretty unusual. He hits with relatively low power and uses a lot of short cross-court angles, and therefore he should be capable of frustrating Coric. He was also able to take the pair’s only meeting on grass, two years ago in Antalya.
Prediction: Mannarino in 3
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