It’s still four days until Wimbledon‘s main draw gets underway so thank goodness the ATP have a few semifinal matches to tide us by at the Mallorca Championships. Christopher Eubanks and Lloyd Harris will be tearing holes in the courts with their serves whilst the ever-crafty Adrian Mannarino will be looking to add another grass-court scalp to his season over Yannick Hanfmann. We’ve predicted the outcomes of both of these matches at LWOT. Who do you think will win?
ATP Mallorca Semifinal Predictions
Christopher Eubanks vs Lloyd Harris
Head-to-head: Harris 4-2 Eubanks (all levels)
Mallorca has been a great tournament for those with less of a grass-court game, lesser-equipped players getting a comfortable warm-up without being knocked out in the first-round. Consequently, Lloyd Harris has won three consecutive matches, defeating Zapata Miralles, Safiullin and Kotov. The South African has been making his steady return from injury and didn’t have to do anything groundbreaking in these wins. With his massive serve, he was more or less the favourite on paper for all three.
Harris is maybe still a little away from his Top 40 level–Christopher Eubanks absolutely could take advantage. He has his own explosive first-strike tennis to contend in any fast-court match-up and hasn’t shied away from any of the big moments this week.
Given Eubanks’ clear confidence and slight question marks round Harris which could show up in the bigger moments, we’re going to side with Eubanks.
Prediction: Eubanks in 3
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Yannick Hanfmann vs Adrian Mannarino
Head-to-head: First meeting
Adrian Mannarino on grass is a nightmare. His abilities to redirect pace, keep the ball incredibly low and lefty serve his opponent into the stands make him a very tricky customer on this surface. Granted his opponents haven’t been the most stellar grass-courters but the last couple of week’s wins over Taylor Fritz and Daniil Medvedev were no fluke.
Yannick Hanfmann isn’t without a chance here. He has a superb one-two punch that should see him push the Frenchman to at least one tiebreak. In those crunch moments though, Mannarino should do an excellent job of making returns and keeping the ball outside of the German’s preferred strike zone.
Prediction: Mannarino in 3
Main Photo Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
