We have an all American semifinals at the ATP Dallas Open as the second, third, fourth, and seventh seeds have all advanced to the final four. These semifinals feature a mixture of youth and experience with fan favorite and Dallas native John Isner looking to reach his 30th career tour-level final. These four Americans have been playing outstanding tennis all week and should continue that on semifinal Saturday. We here at LWOT will be offering our predictions for both semifinals. But who will advance to Sunday’s final?
ATP Dallas Semifinal Predictions
Marcos Giron vs Jenson Brooksby
Head-to-head: first meeting
28-year-old Marcos Giron and 21-year-old Jenson Brooksby will meet for the first time at the tour-level in semifinal number one of the Dallas Open. Giron had a hard fought 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (3) quarterfinal win over the top seed Taylor Fritz. Brooksby cruised in his quarterfinal matchup 6-3 6-0 over Jordan Thompson. Brooksby spent just 1 hour and 11 minutes on court Friday compared to Giron’s 2 hours and 22 minutes.
Giron, though the older player, may be feeling the pressure as he looks to reach his maiden tour-level final. Both Americans have been playing very solid tennis to get to this point in the tournament and I would not expect much budge in this match. With that being said, I favor the young Brooksby. He has been varying his groundstrokes and has an unorthodox two-handed backhand slice that throws off opponents. Brooksby has very high aspirations for this season and making an early tournament final is certainly on that list.
Prediction: Brooksby in 2
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John Isner vs Reilly Opelka
Head-to-head: Opelka 3-1 Isner
The two Americans dubbed the “serve-bots” for, well, their serving prowess, will meet in the second semifinal of the Dallas Open. These two giants have met four times, with Reilly Opelka winning the previous three matchups. However, not much separates them as the last ten sets they have played against each other have gone to a tiebreak. These guys are tiebreak kings, which is why it was so shocking neither of them faced one in their quarterfinal wins
Isner topped Vasek Pospisil 6-4 6-4 in what was “the best match I’ve played all year, bar none”, according to Isner. Opelka had a similar result, besting Adrian Mannarino 6-3 6-4. Both guys are playing very well from the baseline and may give the fans a few longer points on Saturday night. Isner and Opelka should be fresh and ready to go for what is likely another 7-6 6-7 7-6 scoreline. But Opelka has had the better of this rivalry, largely thanks to his superior play from the baseline.
Prediction: Opelka in 3
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