After a thrilling week of tennis so far at the Zhuhai Open, the semifinals are set. All four men left in the draw will surely be desperate to book their place in the final, but only two will be left standing at the close of play on Saturday. Who will come out on top?
Zhuhai Open Semifinal Predictions
Adrian Mannarino vs Albert Ramos Vinolas
Head-to-head: Ramos-Vinolas 3-2 Mannarino
Adrian Mannarino surely comes into this semifinal match full of confidence after defeating Bosnia’s Damir Dzumhur 6-1 6-4 in the last eight. The Frenchman has had some luck along the way as well, with top seed Stefanos Tsitsipas forced to retire from their second-round match with the score level at one-set apiece. But Mannarino, who won his first tour-level title in June by defeating Jordan Thompson in the final in Den Bosch, has taken full advantage of his good fortune.
The Spaniard Albert Ramos Vinolas has played some excellent tennis to reach the final and his yet to drop a set. He opened his campaign with a comprehensive 6-1 6-2 win over Yoshihito Nishioka before ousting the fast-rising young gun Miomir Kecmanovic 7-6 6-3. Ramos Vinolas was then able to get his revenge on Gael Monfils after losing to him in the first round of the US Open, beating the third-seeded Frenchman 7-5 6-4 in surely his finest display of the week so far.
This one should be close as both players are playing at a high-level, although it is Ramos Vinolas who has had a tougher path through the draw. And despite clay being his favoured surface, he is arguably more at home on hard courts than Mannarino, who has long played his best tennis on grass. Ramos Vinolas can generate surprising power, particularly off the forehand side, and that should give him the edge in this one. Expect him to book his place in his third tour-level final of the year.
Prediction: Ramos Vinolas in 3
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Roberto Bautista Agut vs Alex de Minaur
Head-to-head: first meeting
Second seed Roberto Bautista Agut has rolled into the semifinals comfortably without dropping a set so far. The Spaniard who reached back-to-back quarterfinals in Montreal and Cincinnati, was stunned in the first round in New York by Mikhail Kukushkin. But he has recovered from that disappointment impressively so far at the Zhuhai Open, beating his countryman Pablo Andujar 7-5 7-5 before dismissing a clearly fatigued Andreas Seppi 6-2 6-2.
Alex De Minaur, meanwhile, has had to battle hard to reach the semifinals and has consequently spent a lot of time on court. The seventh seed started his week with a comfortable 6-1 6-3 win over his countryman John Millman, but he then had to endure a marathon clash with former-world #1 Andy Murray, ultimately emerging a 4-6 6-2 6-4 victor. He was given another searching examination by Borna Coric, but edged the Croatian 6-2 4-6 6-4.
Long rallies seem certain to be the order of the day in this one, with both men excellent athletes who will give little away from the baseline. But Bautista Agut has that much more variety and power than the Australian who, for all his quality, still lacks a standout weapon to help him get on top on rallies. He may also have to contend with fatigue after a tough path through to the semifinals. Which all points towards this being a fairly comfortable win for Bautista Agut.
Prediction: Bautista Agut in 2
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