It’s an all-seeded semifinal lineup in Belgrade, headlined by world No. 1 and top seed Novak Djokovic. Up next for Djokovic following two tough matches is Karen Khachanov, while Andrey Rublev is going up against Fabio Fognini.
(1) Novak Djokovic vs. (3) Karen Khachanov
Djokovic and Khachanov will be squaring off for the seventh time in their careers when they meet again in the semifinals of the Serbia Open on Saturday. The head-to-head series stands at 5-1 in favor of Djokovic, who dominated their only previous clay-court encounter 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 at the 2020 French Open. Khachanov’s lone victory came in the final of the 2018 Paris Masters via a 7-5, 6-4 decision.
Even though Djokovic is obviously the title favorite, he has done extremely well just to make it this far. The 34-year-old trailed by a set and a break against fellow Serbs Laslo Djere and Miomir Kecmanovic but stormed back to win in three both times. Khachanov has no trouble reaching the semis, getting a walkover from Roman Safiullin before disposing of Thiago Monteiro 7-5, 6-4. Djokovic’s countrymen cracked mentally while trying to close him out, but Khachanov is unlikely to be so generous. With Djokovic clearly a shadow of his real self right now, this is a great opportunity for the world No. 26.
Pick: Khachanov in 3
(6) Fabio Fognini vs. (2) Andrey Rublev
Rublev started the season hot with titles in Marseille and Dubai. The world No. 8 has struggled a bit of late, but it looks like this week in Belgrade could kickstart his buildup to the French Open. Rublev is through to the last four thanks to victories over Jiri Lehecka and Taro Daniel, improving his 2022 record to 21-5.
Somewhat surprisingly, Rublev vs. Fognini is a considerable rivalry in terms of their head-to-head history. They have already faced each other nine times, with five wins going to Fognini compared to four for Rublev. However, Rublev has won three in a row heading into this one–including two in straight sets. Fognini has advanced in Belgrade with defeats of Marco Cecchinato, Aljaz Bedene, and Oscar Otte, but this is obviously a massive step up in competition. The 62nd-ranked Italian has not reached a single ATP final since Monte-Carlo in 2019 and that drought is likely to continue.
Pick: Rublev in 2
WWW?
Djokovic in 2…rublev in 2
All djoko fans are saying in Twitter the old djkko is back the way he played in third set against Meomir replete with primal roars…
I’m w/ Sanju on Novak; Andrey will need a 3rd set
The Russians should be extra motivated after being rubbed out of Wimbledon.
knov in 3; Rublev in 2.
Khachanov hasn’t beaten “anyone” lately. I don’t think he’ll start with Novax in Serbia. Ditto for Fognini – you never know when he’ll play well but I don’t think it’ll be today. Novax in 3, Rublev in 2.
You might as well change your name to Samara.
Djokovic is wearing his white cap which I haven’t seen in a long time. He means business.