There should be plenty of entertainment for the fans at the ATP Hamburg Open on semifinals day, with two intriguing matches on the slate at this crucial French Open warm-up event. All four men left in contention will surely be desperate to ensure they make the perfect preparation for the third Major of the year by claiming the title in Hamburg. But who will reach the final?
ATP Hamburg Open Semifinal Predictions
Andrey Rublev vs Casper Ruud
Head-to-head: Rublev 1-0 Ruud
This should be some match. Andrey Rublev and Casper Ruud clashed for the first time last season at the ATP Hamburg Open, with the Russian claiming a three-set win in the second round. But it is hard to say which man who has improved the most since. Ruud claimed his first ATP title earlier this season in Buenos Aires, before making the final in Santiago and, perhaps most impressively, the semifinals at the Italian Open, where he served for the first set against eventual champion Novak Djokovic.
But Rublev, who went on to reach the final in Hamburg, used that run as a springboard to turn his faltering career around. Since then, he has won three titles and reached a second Grand Slam quarterfinal, establishing himself in the top 20 in the process. Admittedly, most of his success in that time did come on hard courts and he made a poor start to the European clay-court swing, losing to Hubert Hurkacz in the second round in Rome.
But he has looked notably more assured on the clay this week, picking up wins over qualifier Tennys Sandgren, Tommy Paul and fourth seed Roberto Bautista Agut. His win over the Spaniard Bautista Agut was particularly impressive, with his point construction and shot selection impeccable. If he can manage a repeat of that performance, he should be able to hurry Ruud with his power from the baseline. That would surely spell trouble for the Norwegian, who struggles when time is taken away.
Prediction: Rublev in 3
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Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Cristian Garin
Head-to-head: Garin 1-0 Tsitsipas
This pair’s only previous meeting came at an ATP Challenger Tour event, with Cristian Garin claiming a straight-sets win on a hard court in Le Gosier, Guadeloupe. It seems a pretty safe assumption that neither man will be back plying their trade on that circuit anytime soon, with both having established themselves as a force to be reckoned with at ATP-level. Garin has had an excellent year, highlighted by his exploits during the Golden Swing in South America.
There, Garin won back-to-back titles in Cordoba and Rio de Janeiro, with the latter an ATP 500 event. Tsitsipas has yet to claim a title at that level, but the Greek did win the 2019 ATP Finals. He has struggled for much of this season, crashing out early at Melbourne Park and in Flushing Meadows, where he squandered six match points in a third-round loss to Borna Coric. That appeared to be playing on his mind last week in Rome, where he lost his opener to Jannik Sinner.
That match saw the Greek hit a scarcely believable number of backhand errors, with that wing an occasional weakness for Tsitsipas, especially on the clay. It is one he has marshalled superbly so far this week, with neither Dan Evans, Pablo Cuevas nor Dusan Lajovic able to put a dent in it. But Garin is a more dangerous opponent than any of them, with his powerful forehand giving him the perfect tool to challenge Tsitsipas’ one-hander, particularly if he can consistently maintain good depth.
Prediction: Garin in 3
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