Tomas Berdych and Karen Khachanov are set for a big-hitting semifinal showdown on Saturday in Marseille. On the red clay of Rio de Janeiro, meanwhile, Fernando Verdasco–coming off an upset of Dominic Thiem–is facing Fabio Fognini for a place in the title match.
Open 13: (9) Karen Khachanov vs. (4) Tomas Berdych
Berdych and Khachanov will be going head-to-head for the second time in their careers when they meet again in the Marseille semifinals on Saturday. Khachanov won their only previous encounter 7-5, 6-4, 6-4 in round two of the 2017 French Open. Berdych bounced back to make a semifinal run at Wimbledon, but the rest of his season was an injury-plagued disaster. The 17th-ranked Czech appears to be rounding into form once again with an 8-1 record in his last nine matches, and his only loss during this stretch has come at the hands of Roger Federer. Berdych reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open, won twice in Rotterdam before withdrawing due to illness, and has victories this week over Stefano Travaglia (in three set) and Damir Dzumhur (via second-set retirement).
Khachanov booked his spot in the final four thanks to straight-set wins at the expense of Ruben Bemelmans, Mischa Zverev, and Julien Benneteau. The 21-year-old Russian is now 8-4 for his 2018 campaign with quarterfinal performances in Auckland and Montpellier. Another minor upset is possible, but–unlike at Roland Garros–an in-form Berdych has a clear surface advantage this time around and should be able to implement his power game to perfection indoors in Marseille.
Pick: Berdych in 3
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Rio Open: (5) Fabio Fognini vs. (8) Fernando Verdasco
Fognini and Verdasco will be squaring off for the sixth time in their careers during semifinal action on Saturday in Rio. Their only encounter since the end of 2010 came this past fall on the hard courts of Shanghai, where Fognini got the job done 2-6, 6-4, 6-2. Verdasco still leads the head-to-head series 3-2, including 2-0 on clay with victories in Umag (2008) and Acapulco (back when it was held on the slow stuff as opposed to a hard court in 2010).
The 40th-ranked Spaniard is coming off a huge win on Friday, when he stunned clay-court force and No. 2 seed Dominic Thiem 6-4, 6-0. Verdasco preceded that result with three-set defeats of Leonardo Mayer and Nicolas Kicker. Fognini’s week has been even more eventful. The 21st-ranked Italian has won all three of his matches in three sets, beating Thomaz Bellucci from a set and 4-0 down in the second, saving a set point against Tennys Sandgren, and coming back from a set deficit in what was a controversial and contentious showdown against Aljaz Bedene on Friday night. A surprisingly motivated and mentally tough Fognini should be able to take advantage of an opponent who has always struggled to build on big wins.
Pick: Fognini in 3
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WYG?
Fog and Berdych in three
Fog was disappointing there , not even trying at times.