Former Auckland champions David Ferrer and John Isner are one round away from a collision in the title match. They first have to get past Yen-Hsun Lu and Roberto Bautista Agut, respectively, on Friday.
(1) David Ferrer vs. Yen-Hsun Lu
Ferrer and Lu will be squaring off for the fourth time in their careers and for a second straight year at the Heineken Open when they do battle in Friday’s semifinals. The 2013 round-two showdown went Ferrer’s way 6-4, 2-6, 6-3, giving him a 2-1 lead in the head-to-head series. He also prevailed 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 on the hard courts of Beijing in 2010, while Lu’s lone win came when he led 5-4 in the first set at the 2012 Beijing event and Ferrer retired.
Interestingly, it is Ferrer who has especially struggled this week. The top-seeded Spaniard needed three sets to beat both Donald Young and Guillermo Garcia-Lopez after an opening-round bye. Lu has dropped only one set in victories over Igor Sijsling, Bradley Klahn, and Steve Johnson. However, this is the first-ever ATP semifinal for Chinese Taipei’s top player whereas Ferrer is the three-time defending champion of this tournament and has captured the title four times overall.
Pick: Ferrer in 3
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(3) John Isner vs. Roberto Bautista Agut
Isner and Bautista Agut will be facing each other for the second time in their careers on Friday. Their only previous encounter came a few months ago in Beijing, where Isner advanced 6-2, 6-7(3), 6-4 to the quarterfinals. The 6’10” American has already endured similarly tough matches so far this week as he bids for a second Auckland triumph (2010). He got past Lukas Lacko 7-6(1), 3-6, 6-2 before outlasting Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-7(4), 7-6(4), 7-6(5) in a match that featured zero breaks of serve.
Like Lu, Bautista Agut has surrendered only one set in scalps of Daniel Gimeno-Traver, Benoit Paire, and Jack Sock. The 73rd-ranked Spaniard, who is bouncing back nicely from a first-round Chennai loss to Alexander Kudryavtsev, played in two ATP semifinals last season (won in Chennai before losing in the title match, lost in Stuttgart). Isner may not be quite 100 percent due to an ankle problem, but he served at 83 percent against Kohlschreiber and Bautista Agut will have little chance if the favorite serves anywhere close to that well in this one.
Pick: Isner in 2
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Bautista Agut served for the match and lost. Can’t do that against Isner.