Bucharest SF previews and predictions: Garcia-Lopez vs. Verdasco, Delbonis vs. Pouille

Each of the two semifinals on Saturday in Bucharest will pit a seeded player against an unseeded opponent. Guillermo Garcia-Lopez is going up against Fernando Verdasco and Federico Delbonis is facing Lucas Pouille.

Fernando Verdasco vs. (4) Guillermo Garcia-Lopez

It will be an all-Spanish affair when Garcia-Lopez and Verdasco battle for a place in the BRD Nastase Tiriac Trophy title match on Saturday. The head-to-head series stands at 6-2 in favor of Verdasco, who has won all three of their previous clay-court encounters. A three-setter during last spring’s clay-court swing saw Verdasco prevail 4-6, 6-2, 6-3. The two veterans most recently squared off last fall on the indoor hard courts of Valencia, where Garcia-Lopez got the job done 6-4, 3-6, 6-3.

Garcia-Lopez just barely managed to survive quarterfinal Friday, when he saved two match points to outlast Guido Pella 7-6(5), 3-6, 7-6(6) in three hours and one minute. The No. 4 seed is now an even 10-10 for the year, having also defeated Kyle Edmund 6-3, 6-3 in his Barcelona opener. Verdasco punched his ticket to the last four by taking out Aldin Setkic, Radu Albot, and Robin Haase, dropping only his first set to Setkic in the process. The world No. 86 appears to be rounding back into form, coming off a solid performance in Monte-Carlo that saw him crush Federico Delbonis before falling to David Goffin in a third-set tiebreaker. Based on their past history against one another and on the fact that Garcia-Lopez is coming off a three-hour marathon, Verdasco should enjoy a slight edge.

Pick: Verdasco in 3

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(3) Federico Delbonis vs. Lucas Pouille

Playing the best tennis of his young career, Pouille registers at No. 72 in the world heading into the Bucharest semifinals on Saturday. Although he is eight spots off his best-ever mark of 64th in the rankings, the 22-year-old is projected to climb into the top 60 regardless of his result against Delbonis. He already boasts 10 ATP-level match wins in 2016 following victories this week over Dusan Lajovic, Ivo Karlovic, and Paolo Lorenzi. Pouille has now won eight matches in his last three tournaments, which includes a run to the Miami fourth round.

Delbonis, whom the Frenchman has never faced, is an outstanding 17-8 for the season with a recent clay-court title in Marrakech to his credit. The 40th-ranked Argentine was clearly worn out against Verdasco in Monte-Carlo, but he is back in business in Bucharest. Following an opening-round bye as the third seed, Delbonis dismissed Illya Marchenko and Marco Cecchinato in straight sets. This will be Delbonis’ toughest test of the week, but the surface should help him hold off his less-experienced opponent.

Pick: Delbonis in 3

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