The Australian faithful will have one of their own in each Brisbane semifinal on Saturday. One (Nick Kyrgios) is expected; the other (Alex de Minaur) most definitely is not. Kyrgios is going up against Grigor Dimitrov, while de Minaur is facing Ryan Harrison.
(1) Grigor Dimitrov vs. (3) Nick Kyrgios
It will be a rematch of the 2017 Cincinnati Masters final when Dimitrov and Kyrgios meet again in the semifinals of the Brisbane International on Saturday afternoon. Dimitrov triumphed 6-3, 7-5 in Cincinnati for the biggest title of his career at the time, extending his head-to-head series lead to 2-0–having previously defeated Kyrgios 7-6(2), 3-6, 7-6(4) at the 2015 Indian Wells Masters. The third-ranked Bulgarian parlayed his momentum from Cincinnati into a berth in the Nitto ATP Finals, which he won while compiling a perfect 5-0 record. Picking up right where he left off last season, Dimitrov has opened in Brisbane with three-set victories over John Millman and Kyle Edmund.
Kyrgios also required three sets in each of his first two outings, beating Matthew Ebden 6-7(3), 7-6(5), 6-2 on Wednesday and Alexandr Dolgopolov 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 on Friday. The 21st-ranked Australian struggled with a minor knee issue against Ebden, but he has been able to keep points short–as usual–with big forehands and 31 total aces through two matches (18 against Edmund). This should be one of the most entertaining contests prior to the Australian Open later this month; a slight edge goes to Dimitrov as the defending Brisbane champion, and because his defense and athleticism have proven to just barely get the best of Kyrgios’ offense.
Pick: Dimitrov in 3
[polldaddy poll=9911013]
(WC) Alex de Minaur vs. Ryan Harrison
A far more surprising affair will precede Dimitrov vs. Kyrgios, as Harrison and de Minaur are set to square off for the first time on Saturday. Harrison is unseeded at 47th in the rankings and is two wins away from what would be just his second career ATP title, but he is the relative veteran and easily the most established player of this particular duo. The 25-year-old American turned in the best season of his career in 2017 (including his first title in Memphis), and he is back in business in Brisbane with defeats of Leonardo Mayer, Yannick Hanfmann, and Denis Istomin.
Ranked No. 208 in the world, de Minaur’s run as a wild card has come completely out of nowhere. In fact, he has already doubled his lifetime victory total (three) this week alone. The 18-year-old Australian has not dropped a single set while ousting Steve Johnson (7-6(7), 6-4), Milos Raonic (6-4, 6-4), and Michael Mmoh (6-4, 6-0). With home-court advantage Down Under, an on-fire de Minaur has mostly cruised this week; Harrison, on the other hand, needed three sets against Mayer and Hanfmann prior to a 7-6(6) opening set against Istomin (the Uzbek soon retired down 4-2 in the second). de Minaur’s run may end in a pressure-packed final against a heavily-favored opponent in either Dimitrov or Kyrgios, but this is a good opportunity for his run to continue.
Pick: de Minaur in 3
[polldaddy poll=9910837]
Leave a Reply