Just like that, only four men are left at the ATP Rotterdam Open. There have been plenty of thrilling matches so far this week, as well as some unexpected results. There should be plenty of entertaining tennis, but who will reach the final?
ATP Rotterdam Open Semifinal Predictions
Andrey Rublev vs Stefanos Tsitsipas
Head-to-head: Tsitsipas 3-2 Rublev
What a blockbuster semifinal. Their last meeting at the ATP Finals in November last year ended with Stefanos Tsitsipas winning 8-6 in a final set tiebreak after the Greek saved a match point. Just two months before that, Andrey Rublev got the better of the Greek in the Hamburg final 7-5 in the third despite Tsitsipas serving for the match.
Both men had tough encounters on Friday with tight final-set wins over Jeremy Chardy and Karen Khachanov respectively, but there should be no doubt that they will both be entirely ready for the semifinal. After all, Rublev is 23 and Tsitsipas 22, so fatigue should not be a problem.
On a court like this style wise it’s an interesting one as well. The Russian might benefit from the indoor conditions thanks to having the more dangerous serve, but in rallies the relatively slow court surface should allow Tsitsipas to extend rallies and potentially force Rublev into making errors. Expect this one to be close, but for Tsitsipas to grind Rublev down and make him overplay. That should be enough to see world #6 into the final.
Prediction: Tsitsipas in 3
Embed from Getty Images
Borna Coric vs Marton Fucsovics
Head-to-head: Coric 3-0 Fucsovics
Borna Coric’s whole career has been rather unusual to say the least. After a fast start as a teenager that saw him pick up wins over Roger Federer, Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal, not to mention Coric comparing himself to the Scot on a bad day, it has never quite come together for him. As a result, he has been stuck outside the top 10 and been forced to watch his contemporaries make the sort of impact he once threatened to.
But, with all due respect to Marton Fucsovics, Coric’s level has been rising with every match so far this week and this is a match he should be winning. Especially against Kei Nishikori in both tiebreaks, the 24-year-old really did up his level when it mattered most. To a lot of people this match will decide the runner-up, but it does seem like that the passive styles of both men could prove tricky for Tsitsipas or Rublev in the final and this is far from a dead rubber. Ultimately, however, there’s a reason Coric is ranked 26th in the world and Fucsovics 59th: the Croatian does almost everything a little better.
Prediction: Coric in 3
Main photo:
Embed from Getty Images
