David Ferrer and Ernests Gulbis will contest a marquee semifinal matchup on Saturday in Stockholm. A battle of rising talents featuring Benoit Paire and Grigor Dimitrov is also on tap.
(1) David Ferrer vs. (5) Ernests Gulbis
Gulbis squandered a potential chance to face Ferrer at the U.S. Open by losing in a five-set first-round upset at the hands of Andreas Haider-Maurer. The 26th-ranked Latvian, however, has been a force at small events in 2013 and he made no mistake this time around at the If Stockholm Open. Gulbis booked his spot in the last four with scalps of Jeremy Chardy, Igor Sijsling, and Jerzy Janowicz. The No. 5 seed is a stellar 37-15 for the season.
His shot against Ferrer will come in the form of their second career encounter on Saturday. They squared off six years ago in Montreal, where the Spaniard took advantage of an inexperienced opponent with a 6-2, 6-1 rout. Ferrer is still going strong at 31 years old with a No. 3 ranking, but an impressive 2013 campaign is slowing down toward the finish. He had not advanced past the quarterfinals at any of his last six events prior to this week. Gulbis is a streaky performer who showcases Top-10 talent when he is hot, and he is just that right now. On a fast indoor hard court, he will have a golden opportunity against a relatively out-of-form Ferrer.
Pick: Gulbis in 2
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(7) Grigor Dimitrov (6) Benoit Paire
Dimitrov and Paire will also be going head-to-head for the second time in their careers at the ATP level on Saturday. Their only previous showdown came last summer at the U.S. Open, where Paire prevailed in a first-round match 5-7, 6-3, 7-6(4), 6-2. They also clashed at a clay-court Futures event in 2008, when Paire scored a 6-3, 6-4 victory.
Both men, in their 20s, are now into the Top 30 of the world and they wrapping up solid but unspectacular seasons. Paire owns a 32-27 record thanks to wins this week over Santiago Giraldo, Pablo Carreno Busta, and second-seeded Milos Raonic. Dimitrov is 31-21 following defeats of Marius Copil, Jan-Lennard Struff, and Kenny De Schepper. This is a big step up in competition for the Bulgarian, whereas Paire has to be sky-high with confidence following a huge upset of Raonic. Neither man is consistent enough to make this one routine, but Paire should have a slight edge.
Pick: Paire in 3
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I hope it is a dimitrov-gulbis final
Me too
I wish that I had gone with my gut in picking Gulbis to beat Jerzy in the quarterfinals. I went back and forth and then picked Jerzy for some reason. But I had a feeling that in this tournament, Gulbis decided to play some tennis for a change. He does that once in a while.
Now I am picking him to beat Ferrer in the semis. When he gets hot, he can be very dangerous. I also was wrong in picking Raonic to beat Paire. That was a surprise. All I will say is that I would like Dimitrov to step up and win this match. I have not been doing well with my predictions for these smaller tournaments.
I would definitely like to see a Gulbis/Dimitrov final.
Milos Raonic has withdrawn from Basel. I don’t know the reason.
According to the current entry list, G.Dimitrov would be seeded 8th.
can he get into WTFs if he wins Paris?
Saving himself for Paris perhaps?
Tsonga and Gasquet still neck and neck for London and with both still in the running for title wins tomorrow it’s anybody’s guess and likely to be decided in Paris. Raonic pretty much out of the equation.
Roger still needs to motor to guarantee his place.
Prospects for a tense Paris Masters a lot brighter than normal 😉
Those who are still clinging onto the Fed is GOAT chestnut are looking sillier and sillier by the day:
http://www.tennisnow.com/News/Statisfaction-ATP-s-Best,-Worst-Records-against-To.aspx
This should be continued on the Federer thread.
correct!
Straight from the horse’s mouth:
https://twitter.com/PseudoFed/status/391480569080467458/photo/1
Is the person, sitting next to Roger, his new coach?
Hee, Hee
Here’s where Roger took Rafa after “doing the kidnappings:”
https://twitter.com/hidalgo631/status/391483041035476992/photo/1
Too much…….lol.
^^^^ Brilliant. And hilariously funny.
hahaha unbelievable
Ricky Dimon@October 19, 2013 at 11:56 am
—can he get into WTFs if he wins Paris?—
Here you’ll find (scroll down after opening) the Race to London (updated on Oct.18).
http://www.atpworldtour.com/
Add the points and you’ll see. 🙂
:thumbsup:
Great Fed photo!…and I like Gulbis over Ferrer, and Paire will continue to roll!
Rum pa-pa-pum, rum-pa-pa-pum! The Latvian down!
Vamooosss Ferru!