The semifinals are set at the ATP Acapulco Open and both matches look set to provide plenty of entertaining tennis for the fans in Mexico. All four players left in contention will surely be desperate to book their place in Saturday’s final, but who will advance and who will fall to defeat?
ATP Acapulco Open Semifinal Predictions
Dominik Koepfer vs Alexander Zverev
Head-to-head: first meeting
It has been some week for Dominik Koepfer. The German made his name with a run through the qualifying to the fourth round at the US Open in 2019 and he has since established himself in the top 100. He began his campaign with a comprehensive 6-4 6-2 win over home hope Gerardo Lopez Villasenor and he backed that up by upsetting the fourth seed Milos Raonic by the same score. A 7-5 6-4 win over fellow college tennis alumni Cameron Norrie then saw him into the semifinals.
But one suspects he will have to be at his very best there up against his countryman Alexander Zverev. The world #7 has made a solid start to the year, with the highlight his run to the Australian Open quarterfinals where he brought the best out of Novak Djokovic in a narrow four-set loss. He did lose in the first round in Rotterdam, but he has bounced back in Acapulco with commanding wins over Carlos Alcaraz and Laslo Djere. His quarterfinal opponent Casper Ruud withdrew before their match.
This match will almost certainly be decided principally from the baseline, with both of these men building their games around getting the better of their opponents from the back of the court. The problem for Koepfer is that whilst he is a solid baseliner, unlikely to give much away to Zverev, he is badly outmatched in weight of shot. If Zverev maintains the level he displayed in the first and second rounds, he should have too much by half for his compatriot.
Prediction: Zverev in 2
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Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Lorenzo Musetti
Head-to-head: first meeting
Koepfer is not the only player enjoying a week to remember at the ATP Acapulco Open. Lorenzo Musetti, who has for some time been tipped for greatness, has been in electric form this week. The Italian began his week in the qualifying, scoring wins over Juan Alejandro Hernandez Sorrano, Agustin Velotti and Frederico Ferreira Silva to reach the main draw. There he has beaten Diego Schwartzman, Frances Tiafoe and Grigor Dimitrov to book his spot in the last four.
Waiting for him will be the top seed Stefanos Tsitsipas. The Greek, who is playing in his third semifinal of the season (Australian Open, ATP Rotterdam Open) made his way through the first and second rounds with ease, dropping just a handful of games in beating Benoit Paire and John Isner. He faced more resistance in the quarterfinals against seventh seed Felix Auger-Aliassime, but he held his nerve to record a 7-5 4-6 6-3 win, his third in a row against the Canadian.
With both Tsitsipas and Musetti at their best when playing on the front foot, this match looks likely to contain plenty of winners. But there are several areas where Tsitsipas may feel he can carve out an advantage. He is certainly the better server of the two, which could well prove to be decisive. The Greek will need to be wary of Musetti’s power, with the Italian more than capable of striking winners from both wings, but expect Tsitsipas to have enough quality to end the teenager’s dream run.
Prediction: Tsitsipas in 3
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