The two Queen’s Club semifinals feature an incredible combined age difference of thirty years. Feliciano Lopez (37) will try to keep his run going at the expense of Felix Auger-Aliassime (18), while Gilles Simon (34) faces Daniil Medvedev (23).
(8) Felix Auger-Aliassime vs. (WC) Feliciano Lopez
Lopez has been enjoying success on grass as long as Auger-Aliassime has been alive. Auger-Aliassime has been enjoying success on grass for the last 11 days. But 11 days may be long enough to cement the 18-year-old Canadian as the odds-on title favorite heading into the Fever-Tree Championships semifinals on Saturday. He is up to No. 21 in the rankings and climbing, with a runner-up performance last week in Stuttgart–the first grass-court tournament of his career–followed by impressive Queen’s Club wins over Grigor Dimitrov, Nick Kyrgios, and Stefanos Tstisipas.
There will be a 19-year age difference on the court when Auger-Aliassime faces Lopez for the first time. Lopez, 37, captured the title at this event in 2017 and he is turning back the clock as a wild card ranked No. 113 in the world with defeats of Marton Fucsovics and Milos Raonic (plus a walkover from Juan Martin Del Potro). The Spaniard had previously been 3-8 at the ATP level this season, but grass has always been just what the doctor ordered to get his game in gear. On any other surface this would likely be a rout; this one will be at least somewhat competitive, but a huge edge in current form goes to Auger-Aliassime and the eighth’s athleticism and return skills will likely result in too many balls coming back into play for Lopez.
Pick: Auger-Aliassime in 2
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(4) Daniil Medvedev vs. Gilles Simon
Medvedev and Simon will be squaring off for the second time in their careers on Saturday. Their only previous encounter came two years ago on the red clay of Lyon, where Simon prevailed 7-5, 6-7(5), 6-2. Since then, however, Medvedev has soared into prominence. The 23-year-old Russian is up to No. 13 in the world and he will be sixth in the race to London following this week’s festivities. Medvedev has bounced back from a brief slump by beating Fernando Verdasco, Lucas Pouille, and Diego Schwartzman so far at Queen’s Club.
Although Simon has been going in the other direction in recent seasons, the 34-year-old Frenchman has remained relevant enough to snag a seed at Wimbledon. He accomplished that feat by outlasting Nicolas Mahut 7-6(5), 5-7, 7-6(3) on Friday, when a loss would have left him unseeded at the All-England Club. The world No. 38 preceded that result with three-set victories over James Ward (also in a deciding tiebreaker) and Kevin Anderson. Simon has to be somewhat fatigued, and this probably isn’t a great matchup for him even at 100 percent. They wield similar styles of play, with Medvedev younger, moving better, and hitting bigger especially on serve and with his backhand.
Pick: Medvedev in 2
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Endurance does or did though, the way Simon won against Medvedev.
Endurance? Simon’s game is like that, one more ball back .