Stockholm SF previews and predictions: Dimitrov vs. Del Potro, Zverev vs. Sock

A blockbuster semifinal lineup in Stockholm includes Juan Martin Del Potro, who will go up against Grigor Dimitrov on Saturday. Alexander Zverev and Jack Sock are facing each other for the second time this fall.

(WC) Juan Martin Del Potro vs. (2) Grigor Dimitrov

Just about the only thing this season has lacked for Del Potro is a title of any kind, but that could all change over the next month–or even this week. Del Potro, who has Argentina in the Davis Cup final, is two wins away from lifting the trophy at the If Stockholm Open as he heads into semifinal action on Saturday. The 27-year-old has navigated a difficult path to reach the last four, with straight-set victories over John Isner, Nicolas Almagro, and Ivo Karlovic. Del Potro, the silver medalist at the Rio Olympics, is 26-11 this year and back up to No. 63 in the word.

Up next for the 2009 U.S. Open champion is a fourth career showdown against Dimitrov, who is winless in three previous tries against Del Potro. Their first two encounters also came on indoor hard courts; Del Potro got the job done 6-4, 6-4 at the 2013 Rotterdam event and 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 later that season in Paris. They most recently collided this summer on the grass of Stuttgart, where Dimitrov went down 6-4, 6-2. The 18th-ranked Bulgarian has picked up the pace considerably since then, with a quarterfinal finish in Toronto, a semifinal run in Cincinnati, and a fourth-round showing at the U.S. Open. His fall swing already features a semifinal appearance in Chengdu and a runner-up performance in Beijing. Dimitrov punched his ticket to the last four this week by defeating Jurgen Zopp and Kevin Anderson. A steep step up in competition may see the end of what his impressive stretch for Dimitrov.

Pick: Del Potro in 2

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(6) Jack Sock vs. (4) Alexander Zverev

Zverev and Sock will be going head-to-head for the second time in their careers and for the second time this fall when they meet again on Saturday. They just squared off in the Beijing second round, with Zverev cruising 6-4, 6-2. In addition to a quarterfinal performance in Beijing, the 19-year-old German’s fall swing also includes a title in St. Petersburg–the first of his career–and a third-round showing in Shanghai. So far in Stockholm he has taken out Adrian Mannarino and Tobias Kamke in straight sets.

Sock has endured a tougher road this week, in part because he did not earn a first-round bye as one of the top four seeds. The 23rd-ranked American scraped past Malek Jaziri and Dustin Brown in three sets before benefiting from Gael Monfils’ early exit and rolling over Gastao Elias 6-4, 6-4 in the quarterfinals. Sock is coming off a long week in Shanghai, where he captured the doubles title with John Isner and reached the quarters in singles. This should be more competitive than their Beijing contest, but a clear edge in current form goes to Zverev.

Pick: Zverev in 2

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