There has been no shortage of entertaining tennis so far at the ATP Houston Challenger in eastern Texas. Now just four men remain in the field. But who will book their place in Sunday’s final on the Rice University campus?
Houston Challenger Semifinal Predictions
Ivo Karlovic vs Christopher O’Connell
Head-to-head: first meeting
The veteran Ivo Karlovic is not the force he once was, but the Croatian’s booming serve has ensured he remains a formidable opponent. Seeded third at the Houston Challenger, the Croatian opened his campaign with a 7-5 6-4 win over Italy’s Liam Caruana after a first-round bye. He backed that up by edging out 16th seed Sekou Bangoura of the United States, before, perhaps predictably, beating Canada’s Alexis Galarneau in two tiebreaks.
Australia’s Christopher O’Connell also enjoyed a first-round bye. He started his week in Houston by narrowly beating Andrea Vavassori of Italy 6-3 5-7 6-4. He backed that win up with a 7-6 6-4 win over Spain’s Adrian Menendez Maceiras to reach the last eight. There he advanced when Michael Mmoh retired trailing 0-5 in the first set. The Australian has enjoyed a fine season, but he has no weaponry to match the Karlovic serve. Expect the Croatian to claim victory as a result.
Prediction: Karlovic in 2
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Mitchell Krueger vs Marcos Giron
Head-to-head: Krueger 2-1 Giron
Mitchell Krueger made a rare foray onto one of tennis’ biggest stages earlier in the season, losing in straight-sets to eventual champion Novak Djokovic on Rod Laver Arena in the first round at the Australian Open. He has not managed to make another tour-level appearance since, but he has played some fine tennis at Challenger-level, winning the title in Dallas in February. He is yet to drop a set in Houston, beating Felipe Meligeni Rodrigues Alves, Peda Krstin and Michael Redlicki to reach the last four.
Marcos Giron, who lost in a final-set tiebreak to Krueger in the quarterfinals in Dallas, has not enjoyed quite such smooth passage into the last four. In his opener, he edged past Brandon Holt, 7-6 6-7 6-2, before beating his compatriot and 13th seed Jenson Brooksby 6-2 4-6 6-3 and Taiwan’s Jason Jung 6-1 2-6 6-2. This looks set to be another close contest, but it is Krueger who has played the more consistent tennis so far at the Houston Challenger and that should give him the edge in this one.
Prediction: Krueger in 3
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