The chances of a maiden ATP Tour winner increased considerably at the ATP Adelaide International 2 as three of the four semifinalists have never won on tour before. Standing in their way though is experienced Grand Slam champion Marin Cilic. Who will compete in the final from this selection?
ATP Adelaide 2 Quarterfinal Predictions
Corentin Moutet vs Arthur Rinderknech
H2H: First meeting
Moutet’s quarterfinal victory over Thiago Monteiro was about as straightforward as they come. Only one break point faced and seven created, led to a 6-4 6-4 win which sets him up perfectly for this all-French encounter. Interestingly, Rinderknech has a poor record against fellow Frenchmen and has lost four of his past five in this situation. However, he produced the type of tennis I expected of him against Karen Khachanov. 13 aces and saving four out of five breakpoints whilst taking the only two he created on the Khachanov delivery will certainly get you wins at any level.
The age old battle now between the server and the returner is going to take place. In this match I have Moutet the edge because I think Rinderknech will continue to struggle to break down his opponent’s serve and I back Moutet to get a few chances on Rinderknech. I also think that the lower-ranked Frenchman will be the better player from a neutral position in a rally so I expect him to win more points than Rinderknech.
Prediction: Moutet in 2
Marin Cilic vs Thanasi Kokkinakis
H2H: First meeting
This match could easily come down to who holds their nerve best in a tiebreak situation. Unfortunately the stats don’t exactly help there as both men have exactly the same tiebreak win percentage on hard courts (55%), Kokkinakis slightly edges it on all courts (54% vs 53%). Of the two players I slightly prefer the chances of Kokkinakis to break Cilic and, despite recent good form, there are still question marks over Cilic’s ability to close out a close match.
The final aspect helping me to edge towards the Australian is the desire to win an ATP title. Cilic won his last one in October, so fairly recently, and he has 22 career titles, including a US Open, already. Kokkinakis, on the other hand, has yet to win an ATP title at all. His sole final appearance came in 2017 at Los Cabos, losing out in three sets to Sam Querrey. Cilic may still view this tournament as a warm-up for the Australian Open, but Kokkinakis should really be viewing this as a great opportunity to break his title duck.
Prediction: Kokkinakis in 3
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