Stefanos Tsitsipas, who is the last seed left standing in Dubai, will go up against Tallon Griekspoor in the semifinals on Friday. The winner of that match will face either Felix Auger-Aliassime or Quentin Halys in the final.
Tallon Griekspoor vs. (4) Stefanos Tsitsipas
Tsitsipas and Griekspoor will be going head-to-head for the third time in their careers and for the second time this month when they clash in the semifinals of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships on Friday. Both of their previous encounters have gone Tsitsipas’ way; 6-2, 7-6(5), 6-3 at the 2023 Australian Open and 6-7(5), 7-6(6), 7-5 just a few weeks ago in Rotterdam. Griekspoor had a match point in the second set during their Rotterdam showdown.
On Thursday, though, it was Griekspoor was battling back from the brink of defeat. The 47th-ranked Dutchman saved four match points in the second set against Daniil Medvedev before prevailing 2-6, 7-6(7), 7-5. Griekspoor also fought off three match points in a 5-7, 7-6(4), 7-6(1) first-round win over Roman Safiullin and he needed three sets, as well, in round two against defending champion Ugo Humbert. Of course, fatigue could also be a factor for Tsitsipas. The 11th-ranked Greek is coming off consecutive three-setters against Karen Khachanov and Matteo Berrettini. There is no reason why Griekspoor can’t avenge his Rotterdam loss.
Pick: Griekspoor in 3
(Q) Quentin Halys vs. Felix Auger-Aliassime
Auger-Aliassime is the tour leader in match victories this season, sporting a 15-4 record. That includes titles in Adelaide and Montpellier, and he is two wins away from lifting a third trophy just barely two months into the 2025 campaign. The 21st-ranked Canadian has maintained his fine form in Dubai, but it hasn’t been easy–with a trio of three-set triumphs over Alexander Bublik, Nuno Borges, and Marin Cilic.
Up next for Auger-Aliassime is third matchup with Halys and second in the span of two weeks. They just faced each other in Doha, where Auger-Aliassime survived a 4-6, 6-4, 7-6(2) thriller to take a 2-0 advantage in the head-to-head series. Speaking of third-set ‘breakers, Halys has already required two of them in the Dubai main draw–against Andrey Rublev and Luca Nardi, sandwiched around a second-round defeat of Roberto Bautista Agut. The 77th-ranked Frenchman has already played five matches in Dubai (two in qualifying), several of them extremely difficult. Combine Halys’ physical and mental fatigue with a red-hot opponent and this should be more routine for Auger-Aliassime than it was in Doha.
Pick: Auger-Aliassime in 2
WWW?
tpas in 2; AA in 2
not bad!