Only four men remain at the ATP Stockholm Open and the quality of tennis has not disappointed this week. We expect more of the same in two close matchups on Saturday. Top seed Stefanos Tsitsipas remains unbeaten in these parts but faces a tricky opponent in Emil Ruusuvuori. While Alex De Minaur will look to topple the high-flying Holger Rune. Who will reach the championship match?
ATP Stockholm Semifinal Predictions
Alex De Minaur vs Holger Rune
Head-to-head: first meeting
After his lackluster performance in Tokyo, Alex De Minaur is firing on all cylinders in Stockholm. The energetic Aussie continues to hold a hot hand over Denis Shapovalov as he defeated the Canadian for the fourth time without reply. De Minaur set the tone right out of the gate as he won a breathtaking rally in the opening game. Shapovalov had no answer to De Minaur’s relentless retrievals and his six untimely double faults compounded a disappointing afternoon.
Holger Rune, for his part, dealt Cameron Norrie a major setback in his quest to qualify for the ATP Finals. The young Dane recovered from dropping the opening set and won 6-7 6-3 6-3. He was in no mood to engage in cat-and-mouse games against the Briton, and used his potent forehand to create angles and set up easy volleys at the net. Rune will certainly need to mix things up against De Minaur in order to stand a chance of reaching his second Tour-level final. It is the first career meeting between them and there is no clear favorite. Both players are extraordinary athletes with fine footspeed. I feel De Minaur has got a lot more bite to his game and he has been in this stage multiple times before. Expect the Aussie to wear down Rune in a classic.
Prediction: De Minaur in 3
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Emil Ruusuvuori
Head-to-head: first meeting
Who will conquer Stefanos Tsitsipas in Stockholm? The Greek recorded his sixth win at this event and remains the odds-on favorite to win his second crown in Sweden’s capital. Despite the perfunctory scoreline against Mikael Ymer, the top seed was fortunate to survive an onslaught. The home hope created 11 break points in the match but was burdened by the pressure of playing on home soil. The ability to get the job done without displaying your A-game is a sign of greatness.
Tsitsipas, though, cannot be generous to hand Emil Ruusuvuori such a reward. the Finnish No. 1 is crashing every ball in his sight. He thrashed Frances Tiafoe in his quarterfinal match for the loss of three games. Ruusuvuori possesses the firepower to wreak havoc in Tsitsipas’ often unreliable backhand wing. However, he hasn’t beaten a Top 10 player in six attempts this year. The Greek should scrap his way into the final.
Prediction: Tsitsipas in 3
Main Photo from Getty.
