Richard Gaquet is joined by a trio of unseeded semifinalists this weekend in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, including his Saturday opponent–qualifier Bernard Tomic. Jeremy Chardy and Matthew Ebden are also hoping to reach the title match.
Jeremy Chardy vs. Matthew Ebden
It will be an all-unseeded affair when Chardy and Ebden go head-to-head for the fourth time in their careers during semifinal action at the Libema Open on Saturday. All three of their previous encounters (all on hard courts) have gone Chardy’s way; 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 at the 2012 U.S. Open, 7-5, 6-0 two years later in Acapulco, and 6-2, 6-1 at the 2016 Delray Beach tournament. The 72nd-ranked Frenchman appears to be past his prime at this point even though others his age are still going strong, but grass may be just what the doctor ordered. Chardy captured the Surbiton Challenger title last week and so far in ‘s-Hertogenbosch he has defeated Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (in a third-set tiebreaker), Adrian Mannarino, and Mackenzie McDonald (in another third-set tiebreaker).
Ebden has quietly worked his way up to 69th in the world and he is projected to reach a new career-high of No. 60 even if he loses to Chardy. The Australian has done most of his damage on the Challenger circuit, to the extent that he was just 4-9 at the ATP level this season prior to arriving in ‘s-Hertogenbosch. Always a dangerous grass-courter with a consistently well-place serve and effective net-charging tactics, Ebden earned his spot in the semis thanks to straight-set victories over Tim Smyczek, Gilles Muller, and Marius Copil. The 30-year-old has not even been pushed to a tiebreaker through three rounds, so based on both form and the surface he should be able to turn the tide against Chardy.
Pick: Ebden in 3
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(Q) Bernard Tomic vs. (2) Richard Gasquet
Tomic has fallen off the face of the tennis Earth in recent seasons, but he is projected to be a mere one spot away from the top 100 if he wins the ‘s-Hertogenbosch title. The dream of his fourth career ATP title and first since 2015 seemed like just that a week ago, but the 181st-ranked Australian qualified for the main draw and parlayed that momentum into straight-set wins at the expense of Kevin King, Robin Haase, and Fernando Verdasco. This grass-court success is nothing new for Tomic, who picked up four of his 10 total victories in 2017 on the green stuff and advanced to the ‘s-Hertogenbosch quarterfinals, the Queen’s Club semis, and the Wimbledon fourth round in 2016.
Up next for Tomic on Saturday is a 10th career meeting with Gasquet, who is dominating the head-to-head series 7-2. The Frenchman is 3-0 against his upcoming opponent on grass, with a 7-6(7), 5-7, 7-5, 7-6(5) win at Wimbledon in 2013 to go along with a three-set victory in Eastbourne one year later and a 6-3, 6-3 rout last summer in Halle. Gasquet is through to the final four following straight-set defeats of Evgeny Donskoy and Stefanos Tsitsipas–the latter in two tiebreakers. Even on this surface, the world No. 30 has Tomic’s number and is playing well enough to withstand what could be a stern challenge.
Pick: Gasquet in 3
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