We are down to the final four at the ATP Atlanta Open after an exciting tournament so far. Fans will enjoy an all-American semifinal for the second match between young stars Frances Tiafoe and Jenson Brooksby. Alex de Minaur has reached the semis as expected as the third seed, but he takes on the unexpected semifinalist Ilya Ivashka. Ivashka is looking to make just his second career final and is the lone unseeded player left in the draw. There is not much experience in latter stages of tournaments outside of de Minaur, with the other three players combining for just two career titles. Both matches are scheduled for the late afternoon and will test the players physically in the Atlanta heat. Each match is predicted below, and after Saturday an exciting final will be set.
ATP Atlanta Semifinal Predictions
Alex de Minaur vs Ilya Ivashka
Head-to-head: de Minaur 1-0 Ivashka
While de Minaur won their lone meeting, it was back in 2018 on a grass court when both players were at very different points in their careers. Ivashka is looking to make just his second career final after capturing his first title a year ago in Winston-Salem. De Minaur will be hungry as he has not made a final in over a year, but has had success on hard courts with eight of his nine career finals on the surface. De Minaur seems adjust to the hard courts in his first tournament back on the surface.
While he dropped the first set in his quarterfinal match, he relied on a big serve the rest of the way and cruised to victory without getting broken in the final two sets, including a 6-0 third. Ivashka has had a more favorable draw but has had to fight through it, playing three sets in each of his three matches to get here. De Minaur will be a far tougher opponent for Ivashka with both his big serve and his speed forcing Ivashka to hit the extra shot and make more mistakes. This should be an easy match for de Minaur, who looks to have gotten past some early-season rust and is playing like the top player he is. Ivashka does not have enough tools to win it.
Prediction: de Minaur in 2
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Frances Tiafoe vs Jenson Brooksby
Head-to-head: Brooksby 1-0 Tiafoe
Brooksby beat Tiafoe in Washington a year ago in a close battle in their lone meeting. He has looked to be a future American star at age 21, with fourth round appearances in the most recent US Open, Indian Wells, and Miami events. Tiafoe is another elite talent, though inconsistency has prevented him from taking the next step. They have somewhat differing styles, with Tiafoe relying on powerful and strong strokes to hit past his opponents, while Brooksby has a more defensive game that troubles his opponents and throws them off balance.
Brooksby looked dominant in his first two matches here, winning with ease in straight sets. In the quarterfinal against John Isner, he dropped the first set, then managed to secure three breaks against Isner in the next two sets, a tall task for any player, without being broken himself. Tiafoe has been equally dominant, winning all four sets at the ATP Atlanta Open including a dominant 6-4 6-2 win over the talented Brandon Nakashima. While each player looks hard to beat and Tiafoe has experience on his side, he has been inconsistent match-to-match in his career.
His huge game makes him a challenge to anyone he plays but it can also make him error-prone. Brooksby is a tough matchup for Tiafoe because Brooksby’s defensive abilities can make him hit extra shots and force him into additional errors. This will be the difference in the match, with Brooksby doing just enough to win the key points and get through a tight three set match.
Prediction: Brooksby in 3
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