Out of six there are only four left in Riyadh. Sinner and Fritz delivered predicted outcomes yesterday with no major issues but today it looks tougher. Time for the semifinals: Novak Djokovic vs. Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz vs. Taylor Fritz in this hyped exhibition event.
Novak Djokovic vs Jannik Sinner
One of the compelling rivalries in men’s tennis in recent years. The Serbian maestro has shown flashes of his brilliance recently but it’s not the Novak we’re used to and there are question marks regarding both his form and health, after what we saw in Shanghai.
Sinner, the defending champion, arrives in this semifinal full of confidence after a nice run of form, and it looks like the minor injury issues are not a concern at the moment. Against Tsitsipas he lost concentration at certain parts of the game but still managed a comfortable win.
H2H: Djokovic held a lead here in earlier seasons but with Sinner winning the last five matches, he clearly has the momentum with a 6-4 lead in total.
Prediction: Sinner in two tight sets. The Italian’s level is generally higher at the moment and he seem to like it here in Riyadh, while Novak is most likely focused mostly on Slams at this part of his career.
Carlos Alcaraz vs Taylor Fritz
An interesting clash where it might come down to who is most motivated at this kind of event and winning the huge prize money at stake.
Taylor Fritz has been in great form for a while now and looks inspired on court. Can it be an advantage to have played one match already at the tournament? He will need to play aggressively and take time away from Alcaraz to have a real shot at the upset.
The world no 1 goes in as favorite here, as we’re used to and he also has a 4-1 edge in their H2H series even though it’s been rather even as of late. Fritz beat him in two straight sets last time they met on an indoor court (Laver Cup.)
Prediction: An upset here from Fritz is not out of the question, but he has not always found it easy to get answers to Alcaraz’s game. I’m going with a hard-fought 2-1 win for Alcaraz with yet another Sinner-Alcaraz setup in the final.
