The semifinals are here! After a long week in Stuttgart, players are now just one match away from the from the final! Who will win and who will come up short? Read on to find out!
ATP Stuttgart Open Semifinal Predictions
Jan-Lennard Struff vs Matteo Berrettini
It will be a hard-hitting battle in Stuttgart as Jan-Lennard Struff takes on Matteo Berrettini. Struff has continued his excellent form from the clay court season, as he has not dropped a set all week. This includes beating Lucas Pouille in the quarterfinals, an opponent who he had never beaten in two previous meetings on grass before. Struff is serving great, as he didn’t face a break point against Pouille, and only lost 12 service points all match.
Berrettini has also not dropped a set all tournament. After winning the second title of his career on clay, he has been able to bring his huge serve and powerful, heavy forehand to the grass. After beating two tough players in Kyrgios and Khachanov, Berrettini comfortably took care of Denis Kudla. He didn’t face a break point, and only lost 10 points on his serve.
Clearly, both players are serving well, and playing the attacking tennis necessary to succeed if their opponents get their serves back in play. That means that break points will be very scarce, and that players must take care of the opportunities given to them. In Stuttgart this year, Berrettini is converting approximately 53% of his break points, whereas Struff is converting approximately 31% of his break points. What this shows is that, despite both players getting through their matches easily, Berrettini is doing a better job capitalizing on the opportunities that he is given. Berrettini wins.
Prediction: Berrettini in 3
Felix Auger-Aliassime vs Milos Raonic
Head to Head: 1-0 Raonic
An all-Canadian battle will take place as Felix Auger-Aliassime battles Milos Raonic for a spot in the final. Auger-Aliassime showed a lot of mental toughness in coming back from 3-5 in the third set to beat Dustin Brown in a third set tiebreak. Auger-Aliassime even saved a match point when Brown, a grass courter playing in his home country, was serving for the match. Despite being inexperienced on grass, Auger-Aliassime is showing through his controlled aggression that he has what it takes to succeed on the surface.
Raonic has had a very successful return from injury. In the quarterfinals, Raonic comfortably beat Marton Fucsovics in straight sets. Raonic only faced one break point all match (saved), and dropped a mere 11 points on serve. He was also very efficient in return games, having been a perfect 2/2 on the scant break point chances he got. Raonic is playing the big serve, all-court tennis that has given him a lot of success on grass.
Raonic leads the head to head 1-0. His win came last year on the hard courts in Indian Wells. Auger-Aliassime will have to serve very well in order to beat Raonic. While Auger-Aliassime has had a great week, he has had the occasional service game where he lacks concentration in his past couple of matches and gotten broken. He will not be able to get away with any lapses in concentration in this match. Kudos to Auger-Aliassime for making it this far, but Raonic will be advancing to the final.
Prediction: Raonic in 2
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