Just when it looked like we would be getting a semifinal lineup at the ATP 250 in Doha featuring the top four seeds, quarterfinals day happened and produced a few upsets not many people saw coming. With just one seed left, the tournament is wide open for all four semifinalists.
ATP Doha Semifinal Predictions
Alexei Popyrin vs Karen Khachanov
Head-to-head: Khachanov 2-1
There wasn’t much to look into Khachanov’s quarter-final match with just the three games played before Ruusuvuori had to unfortunately withdraw but the same can’t be said about Popyrin’s last match where the Russian impressively put aside Bublik in two fairly routine sets. Popyrin’s big serving and especially dominating the Kazakh’s second serve were a big highlight and he’s going to have to do the same here.
Khachanov is a much better returner and a lot will depend on whether Popyrin can keep the level he has on serve so far this week just being broken a handful of times in the eight sets he’s played. Anything less and Khachanov, being by far the best player the Australian has played here, will comfortably win.
Prediction: Khachanov in 2
Jakub Mensik vs Gael Monfils
Head-to-head: First Meeting
At the Australian Open, teenager Mensik shocked the world by brushing aside Denis Shapovalov in straights and then barely losing to Hubert Hurkacz in five sets. Then he shocked us again beating former World #1 Andy Murray in the longest Doha match ever. Instead of coming out dead tired the next day as we all expected, he instead straight-setted Andrey Rubev, a top five player for the biggest win of his career. It’s safe to say, the 18-year-old is more than the real deal. Now, however, can he back it up yet again?
Gael Monfils has shown shades of the player he once was in the last few weeks as evident with his last round win breezing past Ugo Humbert. The Frenchman can move the Czech around more than Rublev did and potentially expose the movement and fatigue of his younger opponent which he needs to achieve in order to make his first final of the year. It’s a very hard one to call.
Prediction: Monfils in 3
Main Photo Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports
