It will be a rematch of the 2023 Davis Cup championship tie when Italy and Australia meet again in Malaga, this time in the semifinals. Jannik Sinner, Matteo Berrettini, Alex de Minaur, and Thanasi Kokkinakis are the expected singles players.
Jannik Sinner (ITA) vs. Alex de Minaur (AUS)
A Sinner vs. De Minaur is bad news for fans who like watching entertaining and competitive tennis. But it’s even worse news for De Minaur. What is currently the most lopsided “rivalry” in all of tennis will add another chapter when Sinner and De Minaur go head-to-head once again in the Davis Cup semifinal tie between Italy and Australia on Saturday in Malaga, Spain. The Italian is 8-0 lifetime, including 18-1 in total sets at De Minaur’s expense. Sinner has taken 12 consecutive sets in the matchup without even being pushed to a tiebreaker, and he just eased past the Aussie 6-3, 6-4 the Nitto ATP Finals.
Sinner went on to triumph in Turin with an undefeated record; in fact, he did not drop a set the entire week. The world No. 1 is 25-1 in his last 26 matches dating back to the Cincinnati Masters after destroying Sebastian Baez 6-2, 6-1 in a quarterfinal victory over Argentine on Thursday. De Minaur went 0-3 in Turin and then got smoked by Taylor Fritz of the United States 6-3, 6-4 on Thursday before the Australians recovered in doubles. Nothing suggests that this will be anything other than another straight-set beatdown in Sinner’s favor.
Pick: Sinner in 2
Matteo Berrettini (ITA) vs. Thanasi Kokkinakis (AUS)
This could end up being Lorenzo Musetti vs. Alexei Popyrin, but the smart money is on Berrettini vs. Kokkinakis. Italy went with Musetti in its No. 2 singles spot on Thursday, but the Paris Olympics bronze medalist flamed out to Francisco Cerundolo 6-4, 6-1. Berrettini picked up the slack in doubles, and based on those two performances you have to think captain Filippo Volandri give Berrettini the singles call on Saturday. Meanwhile, Aussie captain Lleyton Hewitt chose Kokkinakis over Popyrin and the 28-year-old came up big in dramatic fashion–saving four match points and converting his seventh to beat Ben Shelton 6-1, 4-6, 7-6(14).
This would be the first-ever encounter between these two injury-plagued stars. Although Berrettini has not done much this fall, he boasts a 30-12 record for the season and his huge serve and forehand make him extremely dangerous on an indoor hard court. He has won 34 matches all time on this surface; Kokkinakis is 11-12 lifetime on it. The edge goes to Berrettini.
Pick: Berrettini in 2
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