Semifinal previews and predictions: Tsitsipas vs. Berrettini, Michelsen vs. Opelka

A blockbuster semifinal battle in Gstaad will see Stefanos Tsitsipas square off against Matteo Berrettini on Saturday afternoon. In Newport, a resurgent Reilly Opelka is facing fellow American Alex Michelsen.

Swiss Open Gstaad: (1) Stefanos Tsitsipas vs. (6) Matteo Berrettini

Tsitsipas and Berrettini will be going head-to-head for the fifth time in their careers when they collide in the Gstaad semifinals on Saturday. All four of their previous meetings have gone Tsitsipas’ way dating back to a U.S. Open qualifying victory in 2017. They have faced each other once on clay, with the Greek getting the job done 7-6(3), 6-2 at the 2021 Rome Masters.

Ranked 70 spots ahead of his opponent (12th to 82nd), Tsitsipas is once again a sizable favorite. Still, Berrettini cannot be discounted. The 28-year-old Italian is finally healthy again and arguably playing like a top-10 performer. He captured the Marrakech title this spring, lost to Jannik Sinner in a tight four-setter at Wimbledon, and so far this week has ousted Pedro Cachin, Daniel Elahi Galan, and Felix Auger-Aliassime. Tsitsipas also didn’t drop a set en route to the final four, taking care of Hamad Medjedovic and Fabio Fognini. Berrettini may be able to serve his way to an upset of Tsitsipas on any other surface, but on clay the top seed will likely be too good.

Pick: Tsitsipas in 3

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Hall of Fame Open: (WC) Reilly Opelka vs. (3) Alex Michelsen

At long last, Opelka is back–and back with a bang. The 26-year-old American missed the second half of 2022 and basically all of 2023 aside from one Challenger appearance. He was also sidelined for the first sixth months of 2024 before returning this week in Newport. Having finally recovered from multiple wrist surgeries and a leg issue, Opelka is up to his usual big-serve tricks on grass. He has powered his way past Constant Lestienne, No. 1 seed Adrian Mannarino, and Mackenzie McDonald to seize a spot in the semis.

Up next for the former world No. 17 is a first-ever encounter with Michelsen, who was not even a professional the last time Opelka was relevant. Michelsen, 19, announced himself on the pro tour with a runner-up performance at this same Newport event in 2023 and finds himself six places off his career-best ranking at No. 61 in the world. The American has earned 15 of his 22 tour-level victories in 2024 thanks to routine defeats this week of Maxime Cressy and Aleksandar Kovacevic–both by 6-4, 6-4 scorelines. In what is sure to be a big-hitting matchup with very small margins, Michelsen’s recent experience in high-pressure situations will likely be the difference.

Pick: Michelsen in 2

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