We’re getting down to the business end of the tournament at the ATP Sofia Open, with the final four set to compete in the semifinals on Saturday. The top two seeds are still in contention and could set up an exciting final if they succeed here, but their opponents will certainly not go down easy. Who will advance to the final?
ATP Sofia Semifinal Predictions
Jannik Sinner vs Filip Krajinovic
Head-to-head: first meeting
Jannik Sinner has had a solid season so far. The 20-year-old hasn’t had the flashy wins of last year but has continued to rise steadily, going from world #36 at the beginning of the year to #14 now. Sinner’s highlights this year include titles in Washington D.C. and Melbourne as well as a Miami final. In Sofia, the top seed is defending a title from last year and has looked in solid form with straight-set wins over Egor Gerasimov and James Duckworth, two potentially difficult opponents on indoor hard.
His opponent, Filip Krajinovic, has had a poor season outside of an impressive run to the final in Hamburg, which included a win over Stefanos Tsitsipas. The Serb has struggled for form recently, carrying a four-match losing streak into Sofia. Krajinovic exorcised those demons swiftly with two impressive performances to start his campaign, allowing Alexandar Lazarov and Laslo Djere only three games each in the first two rounds. The big challenger for the fifth seed came in the quarterfinal in the form of lucky loser Kamil Majchrzak. Krajinovic fought and advanced after a three-set battle.
The two have not played each other before, and despite Krajinovic’s previous success on indoor hard such as his final from Paris-Bercy, Sinner should be the favorite. The top seed has enough weapons to take the rallies out of Krajinovic’s hands, so barring a top performance from the Serb, the young Italian should continue in his campaign to defend this title.
Prediction: Sinner in 2
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Gael Monfils vs Marcos Giron
Head-to-head: first meeting
It looked like Monfils was done throughout most of the season, as the Frenchman won only two matches before August. Luckily, the 35-year-old started to finally put some wins together, reaching the quarterfinals in Toronto, semifinals in Metz, and third-rounds at the US Open and Cincinnati. In Sofia, Monfils has had some luck, advancing to the second round with a bye, getting a walkover from Ilya Ivashka to advance to the quarterfinals, where he beat an out-of-form Gianluca Mager.
Giron has had a solid year on the main circuit, where he was able to get results and avoid dropping back down to the Challengers. The 28-year-old reached quarterfinals in Halle, Winston-Salem, and Metz before reaching his best result here in Sofia. Giron’s run had some interesting names in it as he beat Jaume Munar in his opener before seeing off the struggling third seed Alex De Minaur and his countryman, John Millman, both in straight sets.
The two have not faced each other before but find themselves in a similar situation as they have reached the quarterfinals recently but now have an opportunity for a breakthrough with a final run late in the season here. Giron’s individual wins have been a bit more impressive than Monfils’ in recent weeks, mostly due to the quality of opposition, so I believe the American will earn a close victory here over the experienced Frenchman.
Prediction: Giron in 3
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