{"id":21136,"date":"2019-10-18T19:36:41","date_gmt":"2019-10-18T23:36:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordontennis.com\/?p=21136"},"modified":"2020-03-25T19:34:20","modified_gmt":"2020-03-25T23:34:20","slug":"atp-stockholm-semifinal-predictions-including-filip-krajinovic-vs-pablo-carreno-busta","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/2019\/10\/18\/atp-stockholm-semifinal-predictions-including-filip-krajinovic-vs-pablo-carreno-busta\/","title":{"rendered":"ATP Stockholm Semifinal Predictions, Including Filip Krajinovic vs Pablo Carre\u00f1o Busta"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordontennis.com\/2019\/10\/17\/atp-stockholm-open-quarterfinal-predictions-shapovalov-stebe\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Intrum Stockholm Open<\/a> is quickly moving toward its finish line. Only four men remain alive at the Swedish capital: two seeds, a lucky loser and talented outsider looking for his first career title. Who will advance to Sunday&#8217;s final? We have Yuichi Sugita vs Denis Shapovalov and Filip Krajinovic vs Pablo Carreno Busta.<\/p>\n<h2>ATP Stockholm Semifinal Predictions<\/h2>\n<h3>Yuichi Sugita vs Denis Shapovalov<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Head to head:<\/strong> Shapovalov 1-0 Sugita<\/p>\n<div class=\"getty embed image\" style=\"background-color: #fff; display: inline-block; font-family: Roboto,sans-serif; color: #a7a7a7; font-size: 11px; width: 100%; max-width: 594px;\">\n<div style=\"padding: 0; margin: 0; text-align: left;\"><a style=\"color: #a7a7a7; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal !important; border: none; display: inline-block;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/1178031082\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/div>\n<div style=\"overflow: hidden; position: relative; height: 0; padding: 66.66667% 0 0 0; width: 100%;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"display: inline-block; position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; margin: 0;\" src=\"\/\/embed.gettyimages.com\/embed\/1178031082?et=oEHPX2I9RblAWOx8unIfkA&amp;tld=com&amp;sig=uidyUculKk1UWS7fSqqulKOe1geC9ttABabGCMxK76Y=&amp;caption=true&amp;ver=1\" width=\"594\" height=\"396\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><em>Sugita lost in qualifying to Alexei Popyrin, who was defeated by Shapovalov in the round of 16. Hence, the Canadian should advance, right?<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Nope. That reasoning is as asinine as it gets. Tennis isn\u2019t math. There are too many variables in play. Never trust such a simple assumption.<\/p>\n<p>On the one hand, according to Tennis Abstract\u2019s tournament <a href=\"http:\/\/www.tennisabstract.com\/current\/2019ATPStockholm.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">forecast<\/a>, Shapovalov is the favorite to hoist the champion\u2019s trophy. The 20-year-old is certainly playing sensational tennis. His 6-0 6-3 shellacking of Cedrik-Marcel Stebe was one of his best performances of his young career.<\/p>\n<p>On the other hand, Shapovalov tends to flop in tour-level semifinals. In fact, the former Wimbledon boys champion is winless in seven attempts. Somehow, he\u2019s an alarming 0-14 in sets. Sure, a player usually faces tougher opposition in the semis than earlier in a tournament. Yet, his return stats are abysmal. Per <a href=\"http:\/\/www.tennisabstract.com\/cgi-bin\/player-classic.cgi?p=DenisShapovalov&amp;f=ACareerqqC2E1\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tennis Abstract<\/a>, his break rate stands at an anemic 2.9% (down from an already poor 17.6% over the past 52 weeks) and his overall percentage of return points won also plummets to 24.2% (down from 35.2%).<\/p>\n<p>If Shapovalov manages to post close to average numbers against Sugita, he\u2019s the likely victor. The Japanese, at the peak of his powers, pushed him to a third set tiebreak in Basel two years ago, but the current, more mature version of Shapovalov should dominate.<\/p>\n<p><em>Prediction: Shapovalov in 2<\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>Filip Krajinovic vs Pablo Carre\u00f1o Busta<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Official head to head:<\/strong> first meeting<\/p>\n<div class=\"getty embed image\" style=\"background-color: #fff; display: inline-block; font-family: Roboto,sans-serif; color: #a7a7a7; font-size: 11px; width: 100%; max-width: 594px;\">\n<div style=\"padding: 0; margin: 0; text-align: left;\"><a style=\"color: #a7a7a7; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal !important; border: none; display: inline-block;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/1173890948\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/div>\n<div style=\"overflow: hidden; position: relative; height: 0; padding: 66.66667% 0 0 0; width: 100%;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"display: inline-block; position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; margin: 0;\" src=\"\/\/embed.gettyimages.com\/embed\/1173890948?et=LHWykhOpQH5eR9BJMfmUWA&amp;tld=com&amp;sig=w38NlEaCFki7-bISsECTsg9MN0fUGkGqLx9BxIdKboc=&amp;caption=true&amp;ver=1\" width=\"594\" height=\"396\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.atptour.com\/en\/players\/fedex-head-2-head\/filip-krajinovic-vs-pablo-carreno-busta\/kb05\/cd85\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Unofficial head to head:<\/strong> Krajinovic 1-1 Carre\u00f1o<\/a><\/p>\n<p>The two precedents went the distance, but they happened on clay four and six years ago. No conclusions should be taken aside from the fact neither player will beat himself. Both are savvy baseliners. Fans who enjoy long rallies must not miss this duel.<\/p>\n<p>Carre\u00f1o typically plays it safe. Ill-advised down the line shots are not part of his repertoire. He feels comfortable hitting crosscourt balls over and over until he sees a reasonable opening. For his part, Krajinovic likes to spice it up a bit more. The Serbian will approach the net at a higher rate, but he needs to pick the right moments, because the Spaniard is a great passer.<\/p>\n<p>I believe this matchup is quite even, it should come down to tiny details. Away from grass, Carre\u00f1o has been very reliable throughout his career against lower ranked foes. Furthermore, the 28-year-old is far more experienced in late stages of tour-level events. Across all surfaces, Stockholm will mark Carre\u00f1o\u2019s 21<sup>st<\/sup> semifinal, whereas this will be just Krajinovic\u2019s fifth appearance overall.<\/p>\n<p><em>Prediction: Carre\u00f1o Busta in 3<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Main Photo:<\/p>\n<div class=\"getty embed image\" style=\"background-color: #fff; display: inline-block; font-family: Roboto,sans-serif; color: #a7a7a7; font-size: 11px; width: 100%; max-width: 594px;\">\n<div style=\"padding: 0; margin: 0; text-align: left;\"><a style=\"color: #a7a7a7; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal !important; border: none; display: inline-block;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/1174734400\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/div>\n<div style=\"overflow: hidden; position: relative; height: 0; padding: 66.66667% 0 0 0; width: 100%;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"display: inline-block; position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; margin: 0;\" src=\"\/\/embed.gettyimages.com\/embed\/1174734400?et=GNgVPUNHR2ND1cQKLB0Seg&amp;tld=com&amp;sig=SMGt1Zh-0x-Y2QppyreGSO71RXPX_FwYXCiARY1M8s4=&amp;caption=true&amp;ver=1\" width=\"594\" height=\"396\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Intrum Stockholm Open is quickly moving toward its finish line. Only four men remain alive at the Swedish capital: two seeds, a lucky loser and talented outsider looking for his first career title. Who will advance to Sunday&#8217;s final? We have Yuichi Sugita vs Denis Shapovalov and Filip Krajinovic vs Pablo Carreno Busta. ATP [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1663,"featured_media":21139,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"1","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[69,3],"tags":[3951,9309,776,2203,9426,9427,9425,9410,91,906,9428],"class_list":["post-21136","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-predictions","category-atp","tag-atp-stockholm","tag-atp-stockholm-predictions","tag-denis-shapovalov","tag-filip-krajinovic","tag-filip-krajinovic-vs-pablo-carreno-busta-prediction","tag-filip-krajinovic-vs-pablo-carreno-prediction","tag-intrum-stockholm-open","tag-pablo-carreno","tag-pablo-carreno-busta","tag-yuichi-sugita","tag-yuichi-sugita-vs-denis-shapovalov-prediction"],"modified_by":"Ben Kerr","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21136","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1663"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21136"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21136\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21139"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21136"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21136"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21136"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}