A couple of all-seeded showdowns will be on display in the Delray Beach semifinals on Saturday, including Matteo Arnaldi vs. Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. On the other side of the draw, Alex Michelsen meets Miomir Kecmanovic.
(8) Alejandro Davidovich Fokina vs. (4) Matteo Arnaldi
No. 2 seed Tommy Paul never even made it to Delray Beach because of a shoulder injury. The tournament then lost its top seed and two-time defending champion, Taylor Fritz, on Friday night–when he fell to Davidovich Fokina in a pair of tiebreakers. Davidovich Fokina preceded that result with victories over Taro Daniel and Mackenzie McDonald. It is a much-needed productive week for the world No. 60, who had not reached an ATP semifinal since the Toronto Masters in 2023.
Up next for Daviovich Fokina on Saturday is a third battle with Arnaldi–and their second in the span of two weeks. Arnaldi just rolled 6-1, 6-3 on the indoor hard courts of Dallas 10 days ago, improving to 2-0 in the head-to-head series after previously prevailing in three sets at the 2024 Montreal Masters. The 38th-ranked Italian looked very good in wins over Learner Tien and Brandon Nakashima, so he has to be considered the favorite against Davidovich Fokina. In fact, the Spaniard might not even take the court given that he sustained a back injury late in his match against Fritz.
Pick: Arnaldi in 2
(3) Alex Michelsen vs. (7) Miomir Kecmanovic
Michelsen and Kecmanovic will be going head-to-head for the first time in their careers on Saturday. It has been a mostly routine week at the office for both guys, who have played a combined four matches in Delray Beach. Michelsen got a first-round bye as the No. 3 seed, benefited from a second-set retirement by Michael Mmoh, and defeated Cameron Norrie in straight sets on Friday. Kecmanovic has dismissed Borna Gojo (straight sets) and Marcos Giron (three) in addition to getting a walkover from Yoshihito Nishioka.
Both men have been playing well so far in 2025, but Michelsen should probably have the edge in this one. The 37th-ranked American’s fourth-round run at the Australian Open featured a pair of top-20 wins over Stefanos Tsitsipas and Karen Khachanov. Conditions at this tournament are generally favorable for big servers and Michelsen has not yet been broken a single time through two matches.
Pick: Michelsen in 2
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