Dallas SF previews and predictions: Isner vs. Wolf, Fritz vs. Wu

Three of the four Dallas semifinalists hail from the host nation, with unseeded Yibing Wu the only exception. Wu is going up against Taylor Fritz on Saturday, while an all-American showdown features John Isner and J.J. Wolf.

(6) J.J. Wolf vs. (5) John Isner

Isner and Wolf will be going head-to-head for the second time in their careers when they clash in the Dallas Open semifinals on Saturday afternoon. Their only previous encounter came at the 2021 Atlanta event, where Isner prevailed 6-4, 6-7(3), 6-4 on his way to a fifth title at his most successful stop on tour. Interestingly, Isner and Wolf were also matched up in the first round of next week’s Delray Beach Open–but Wolf became seeded when Jenson Brooksby withdrew and that rearranged the draw.

Similar to Atlanta, which is not far from Isner’s old University of Georgia stomping grounds, Dallas gives the 6’10” American a home-court advantage. Isner lives in Dallas, just five minutes from the venue. So far this week he has treated the fans to straight-set victories over Chun-Hsin Tseng, Daniel Altmaier, and Emilio Gomez. Wolf got past Brandon Holt and Radu Albot with relative ease before upsetting Frances Tiafoe 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 on Friday. This should be a good one, but Isner has not been broken a single time this week and with the way he is serving he may have a slight edge.

Pick: Isner in 3

(1) Taylor Fritz vs. Yibing Wu

Finally armed with a clean bill of health after missing almost three years due to injuries, Wu has been in outstanding form dating back to last summer. Success on the Challenger Tour has the 23-year-old from China up to a career-high ranking of 97th and now he finds himself in an ATP semifinal for the first time. Wu has advanced in Dallas by taking out Michael Mmoh, Denis Shapovalov, and Adrian Mannarino.

The competition level gets even steeper in the form of Fritz, who is the top seed and the No. 8 player in the world. Fritz avenged last year’s Dallas quarterfinal loss by beating Marcos Giron, a result that was preceded by a first-round bye and a straight-set defeat of Jack Sock. The 25-year-old American is fresher physically and has much more experience on this stage, so Wu’s impressive run will likely come to an end.

Pick: Fritz in 2