Only four men remain in contention in Cagliari at the ATP Sardinia Open, with three of the eight seeded players having made it to the semifinals, whilst the fourth semifinalist is the defending champion. It certainly looks to be set up for an exciting finish and, as ever, we here at LWOT will be previewing and predicting both semifinals. But who will reach the final?
ATP Sardinia Open Semifinal Predictions
Nikoloz Basilashvili vs Laslo Djere
Head-to-head: Djere 2-1 Basilashvili
Laslo Djere, who had arrived at the ATP Sardinia Open in relatively indifferent form, played like the defending champion to overcome an inspired Lorenzo Musetti in the quarterfinals. His next opponent is someone who he has beaten in two of their three previous meetings. That said, it was Nikoloz Basilashvili who won their most recent meeting, delivering a solid performance in the process. He has also been playing well of late, winning the title in Doha.
Both these players prefer to play from the baseline with Basilashvili possessing slightly more velocity in his groundstrokes. The Serb, however, is a swift mover on court and is capable of creating superb angles to push his opponent out of the court. This match has all the ingredients to go the distance, but the way Djere calmly closed the match out in the third set against Musetti suggests that his game is in a good place. Expect that to prove decisive here.
Prediction: Djere in 3
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Taylor Fritz vs Lorenzo Sonego
Head-to-head: Fritz 2-1 Sonego
Lorenzo Sonego survived a massive scare against Yannick Hanfmann. The Italian looked down and out at times but managed to just eke out the win with the scoreline reading 3-6 7-6 (6) 6-3. Sonego will have to recover well from the long match because his semifinal opponent Taylor Fritz enters this match in good form and definitely fresher of the two. This will be the third meeting between this pair, with Fritz leading the head-to-head 2-1.
There’s some solace for Sonego though, with the Italian the victor in their only previous meeting on clay, which came at Roland Garros last year. It’ll be an interesting match up with Fritz playing a solid level and Sonego not afraid to go for his shots. Expect an enthralling clash and, in all likelihood, for it end up going the distance. Sonego should have enough to win a set, but Fritz’s superior consistency should see him into the final.
Prediction: Fritz in 3
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