We’re into the final four of the 2020 ATP European Open in Antwerp. Two unseeded men have made it this far, as Daniel Evans will take on Ugo Humbert in one of the semifinals. On the other side of the draw, eighth seed Alex De Minaur faces fourth seed, Grigor Dimitrov. Who do you think will advance to the championship match on Sunday?
Ugo Humbert vs Daniel Evans
Head-to-head: Evans 1-0
It’s been a good season for Ugo Humbert, although he might have gone a little bit under the radar. After clinching his first ATP title in January, this is another solid run for the lefty Frenchman. Humbert was particularly impressive in his ousting of the second seed, Pablo Carreno Busta, and did well to back that up with a win over in-form Lloyd Harris. Dan Evans had to defeat the third seed, Karen Khachanov, in the quarterfinals. Down 3-6 2-4, the Brit started a comeback that saw him save a match point and win the match in the deciding set, as Khachanov imploded following a controversial line call.
This should be a fun battle between two very versatile, all-court players. Evans defeated Humbert indoors at Quimper Challenger last year, but at the pace that the Frenchman’s improving, this past meeting might not mean much after a year and a half or so. Humbert’s lefty forehand seems to handle slice well and the youngster should have more rally tolerance against it than Khachanov. If the Frenchman keeps serving as well as he’s been this week, he should have a very good shot at winning this.
Prediction: Humbert in 3
Grigor Dimitrov vs Alex De Minaur
Head-to-head: Dimitrov 1-0
With just one match played in this event so far, Grigor Dimitrov is into the semifinals in Antwerp. Seeded fourth, the Bulgarian had a first-round bye, before defeating Pablo Andujar in three sets. Milos Raonic had to withdraw with an abdominal strain before competing against Dimitrov in their quarterfinal match. On the other side of the net will be someone much more-battle tested in this event. Alex De Minaur was down 3-6 5-3 to Richard Gasquet in the opening round, before coming back to win. The Australian then upped his level to take out Feliciano Lopez and Marcos Giron in great fashion.
Fatigue could well be a concern in a contrasting situation like this, but Alex De Minaur is one of the players known for their fitness and recovery ability. This will be a big test for Dimitrov’s ability to construct points off the ground and finish the rallies as soon as possible. Against someone as fast and agile as De Minaur, he will need to have the confidence to step into his one-handed backhand. The Australian’s ability to make the opponent play the extra ball might just give him the edge here.
Prediction: De Minaur in 3
Main Photo from Getty.
