An all-seeded semifinal showdown in Geneva pits Taylor Fritz against Grigor Dimitrov. Alexander Zverev and Nicolas Jarry are also in action as the business end of the tournament takes place with the French Open looming.
(4) Grigor Dimitrov vs. (2) Taylor Fritz
Fritz has established himself as an outside Grand Slam title contender, but even with the French Open on the immediate horizon he still looks plenty motivated at this week’s Geneva Open. The ninth-ranked American battled past Marcos Giron 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 in his opening match and then clobbered Ilya Ivashka 6-1, 6-2 on Thursday. Thus a stellar 2023 campaign continues for Fritz, who is 29-10 with a title in Delray Beach, back-to-back quarterfinal efforts in Indian Wells and Miami, and a semifinal showing in Monte-Carlo.
Up next for the No. 2 seed on Friday is a semifinal date with Dimitrov, who lost their only previous encounter 7-6(8), 7-6(4) at the 2019 Madrid Masters. The 32-year-old Bulgarian had a much tougher time at the office on quarterfinal Thursday, requiring two hours and 43 minutes to get past Christopher O’Connell 6-7(5), 7-5, 6-4. Dimitrov may not have a ton left in the tank, so he will likely be on his way to Roland Garros after facing an opponent who would be favored even without taking the previous round into account.
Pick: Fritz in 2
Nicolas Jarry vs. (3) Alexander Zverev
Zverev and Jarry will be going head-to-head for the fourth time in their careers and for the fourth time on clay. They squared off three times in a four-month span during the 2019 season, with Zverev prevailing twice in third-set tiebreakers (Barcelona second round and Geneva final) before cruising 6-4, 6-2 in Hamburg.
Jarry has a slightly better chance now, as he is playing great in 2023 and Zverev is still making his way back from last year’s wrist injury. The 54th-ranked Chilean won the Santiago title in February and so far in Geneva he has defeated Dusan Lajovic and top-seeded Casper Ruud. Jarry outlasted Ruud 3-6, 7-6(2), 7-5, whereas Zverev got a first-set retirement from Yibing Wu in the quarterfinals. That was preceded by a 6-2, 6-3 rout of Christopher Eubanks, so the 27th-ranked German has spent a mere one hour and 28 minutes in total on court this week. With fatigue not a factor, Zverev should be extremely focused on Geneva–not Roland Garros–and can be expected to play his way into a second Geneva final.
Pick: Zverev in 2
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Fritz in 3; Zv in 2.
Feels good to hit that Dimitrov pick over Ricky. Didn’t even get to watch, was at work, but knew it was as good as 50/50 for almost 2 to 1 odds. May even skip the final and focus on France.