Semifinal previews and predictions: Carreno Busta vs. Dolgopolov, Harrison vs. Young

Semifinal action in Buenos Aires will take place on Saturday, when Pablo Carreno Busta goes up against Alexandr Dolgopolov. In Memphis, meanwhile, fellow Americans Ryan Harrison and Donald Young are battling for a place in the title match.

Buenos Aires: (4) Pablo Carreno Busta vs. Alexandr Dolgopolov

Carreno Busta and Dolgopolov will be going head-to-head for the first time in their careers when they clash in the semifinals of the Argentina Open on Saturday. To say this week’s success was much-needed for Dolgopolov would be a gross understatement. In fact, the 66th-ranked Ukrainian had not won back-to-back matches since Nottingham last June. So far in Buenos Aires, though, he has cruised past Janko Tipsarevic, Pablo Cuevas, and Gerald Melzer in straight sets. This marks Dolgopolov’s first semifinal appearance in almost exactly one year (last February in Acapulco).

Carreno Busta’s recent tale has been told in a much different fashion, as the Spaniard is up to a career-high ranking of 25th in the world. No stranger to the latter stages of ATP events, Carreno Busta reached four finals in 2016 (two on clay) and captured titles in Winston-Salem and Moscow. This week’s No. 4 seed most recently showcased his alacrity for pressure-packed tennis by winning the decisive fifth rubber in Spain’s first-round Davis Cup tie against Croatia. He has earned his spot in the Buenos Aires semis by taking out Alessandro Giannessi and Albert Ramos-Vinolas in three sets. Carreno Busta’s match toughness is light years ahead of a rusty Dolgopolov at the moment and that should lead to another three-set win.

Pick: Carreno Busta in 3

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Memphis: Ryan Harrison vs. Donald Young

Harrison and Young will be squaring off for the seventh time in their careers (third at the ATP main-draw level) when they meet in the Memphis Open semis on Saturday. The head-to-head series stands at 4-2 in favor of Harrison, who most recently prevailed 5-7, 6-1, 6-4 this past fall in Tokyo qualifying. Their last main-draw showdown came two years ago on the hard courts of Acapulco, where Harrison led 4-2 in the third set before Young retired.

Young’s road to the last four has been both circuitous and impressive. Two of his victories have come in final-set tiebreakers–first over Adrian Mannarino and then at the expense of John Isner in the quarters. The 81st-ranked American, a second-round finisher at the Australian Open, also beat Reilly Opelka in straight sets. A red-hot Harrison has not yet dropped a set while taking out Konstantin Kravchuk, Sam Querrey, and Damir Dzumhur. The world No. 62 has now won eight matches in a row, a stretch that dates back to a Challenger title in Dallas earlier this month. A confident Harrison will likely continue to hit through relatively slow conditions and have too much firepower for Young.

Pick: Harrison in 2

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