Halle SF previews and predictions: Hurkacz vs. Kyrgios, Medvedev vs. Otte

Only two seeded players remain at the ATP 500 in Halle: No. 1 Daniil Medvedev and No. 5 Hubert Hurkacz. Both are going up against big servers–Oscar Otte and Nick Kyrgios, respectively–during semifinal action on Saturday.

(5) Hubert Hurkacz vs. (WC) Nick Kyrgios

Hurkacz and Kyrgios will be going head-to-head for the first time in their careers when they square off in the Terra Wortmann Open semifinals on Saturday. Kyrgios may be unseeded in Halle, but he was always one of the title favorites given his grass-court prowess and he has to be considered the favorite heading into the semis. The 27-year-old Australian has advanced with wins over Daniel Altmaier, Stefanos Tsitsipas, and Pablo Carreno Busta while dropping just one set to Tsitsipas in the process.

Of course, grass also suits Hurkacz’s game so this should be a competitive and high-quality contest. The 12th-ranked Pole made a run to the Wimbledon semifinals last summer and so far in Halle he has dismissed Maxime Cressy, Ugo Humbert, and Felix Auger-Aliassime. Expect at least one tiebreaker and maybe more, but Kyrgios is looking motivated this week and that combined with the surface should be enough to propel him into the final.

Pick: Kyrgios in 2

(1) Daniil Medvedev vs. Oscar Otte

Otte has been the story in Halle so far. A title wouldn’t be quite like Tim van Rijthoven’s triumph last week in ‘s-Hertogenbosch because the German is a much more established player, but it would be quite the fairytale if Otte wins an ATP tournament for the first time in front of the home fans. The world No. 51 has already done extremely well to reach the semis, ousting Miomir Kecmanovic, Nikoloz Basilashvili, and Karen Khachanov en route.

It only gets tougher from here in the form of a semifinal showdown against Medvedev. The world No. 1 reached the ‘s-Hertogenbosch title match (lost to Van Rijthoven) and has advanced in Halle with straight-set victories over David Goffin, Ilya Ivashka, and Roberto Bautista Agut. Only Ivashka has managed to force a tiebreaker and just two of Medvedev’s six sets have been more competitive than 6-3. Otte can keep this close because he has a big serve, but all signs point to Medvedev taking care of business.

Pick: Medvedev in 2