Veteran Richard Gasquet of France will take on the top-seeded Kyle Edmund for a spot in Sunday’s final in Antwerp. The winner of that semi will run into either Frenchman Gael Monfils or Diego Schwartzman from Argentina.
(1) Kyle Edmund vs. (4) Richard Gasquet
Richard Gasquet has enjoyed a productive fall hard-court swing. The Frenchman made the semifinals in Tokyo and now finds himself in the semis this week in Antwerp. He was sent packing in the second round at the Shanghai Masters last week, but it was at the hands of Juan Martin Del Potro. So much tennis in succession might be catching up with the veteran at last. Gasquet was match point down to German’s Jan-Lennard Struff in the quarters before pulling out the win.
Britain’s Kyle Edmund has been even better since the U.S. Open. He reached the semis in Beijing, the quarters in Shanghai, and at least the semis here this week. Edmund holds a slight 2-1 record over Gasquet. The two men played this year on the clay courts of Marrakech; Edmund won in straight sets. With Edmund enjoying some of the best form of his young career, it’s going to be a tall task for Gasquet to get past him. The Frenchman has that lovely backhand, but he’ll need more than one shot to get it done on Saturday.
Cheryl pick: Edmund in 2
Ricky pick: Gasquet in 3
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(6) Gael Monfils vs. (2) Diego Schwartzman
Gael Monfils has racked up some impressive wins this week. The French veteran defeated countryman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Vasek Pospisil of Canada to earn his spot in Saturday’s semifinal. Monfils, ranked 38th in the world, has suffered through some inconsistent results in 2018. In September he won a Challenger event in Taipei but also endured three first-round losses in a row. He has righted the ship somewhat in Antwerp this week but will now face the tournament No. 2 seed Diego Schwartzman.
Schwartzman is ranked 17th in the world, slightly off his career high of No. 11 back in June of this year. Like Monfils, Schwartzman had a couple of first-round losses earlier this fall. A favorable draw in Antwerp helped Schwartzman along this week, with his notable win coming over Gilles Simon in the quarters. The two men have met twice before, splitting the wins at one apiece. While Monfils is probably the more tired of the two, Schwartzman hasn’t won a difficult match since the summer hard-court swing.
Cheryl pick: Schwartzman in 3
Ricky pick: Schwartzman in 2
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