The ATP Astana Open became a full time ATP event this season after three successful editions of the event from 2020-2022. The once 28-man draw has dwindled to four as Sebastian Korda, Adrian Mannarino, Hamad Medjedovic, and Sebastian Ofner battle it out for the title. The aforementioned Korda squares off against Medjedovic and Mannarino takes on Ofner. But who will advance to the final?
ATP Astana Semifinal Predictions
Adrian Mannarino vs Sebastian Ofner
Head-to-Head: first meeting
No. 6 seed Adrian Mannarino is into his third semifinal of the season after three hard-fought wins in Astana. The veteran Frenchman holds a 14-4 record since Wimbledon. He squares off against 27-year-old Austrian Sebastian Ofner for the first time. Ofner, who came into this event out of form, has beaten Fucsovics, Bublik, and Thiem this week. He favors the clay as his best surface but has struck the ball well this week on the hard courts of Astana. In this matchup, I struggle to see how Ofner will deal with the trickery of Mannarino. The lefty should be able to take command of most rallies, forcing his counterpart into a bevy of unforced errors.
Prediction: Mannarino in 2
Sebastian Korda vs Hamad Medjedovic
Head-to-Head: first meeting
Sebastian Korda is quietly into his third ATP semifinal in his last four tournaments. The 23-year-old American has had an up-and-down injury-riddled season, but has found solid form on hard courts over the last month. He takes on Serbian wildcard Hamad Medjedovic in the ATP Astana semis. Medjedovic enters this contest on an eight match winning streak. The 20-year-old holds a career-high live ranking of No. 105 as he has racked up wins over Djere, Shevchenko, and Lehecka this week (without dropping a set). Both players bring a high-level of groundstroke fire power to this match, but I trust the consistency of the American to win out. His serve will also be a major advantage.
Prediction: Korda in 3
Main Photo Credit: Mike Frey – USA TODAY Sports
