A couple of semi-final picks from the HSBC Championships in London today, both of which could go deep. Let's get into it.
HSBC Championships Predictions
Brandon Nakashima vs Francisco Cerundolo
Head-to-head: Nakashima 0-1 Cerundolo
Cerundolo leads the H2H, but that lone meeting came on clay, and this is a completely different conversation on grass. Nakashima is genuinely dangerous on this surface, he's comfortable at the net, his serve plays up and he doesn't panic when things get tight in rallies. Cerundolo is a fine player, but grass has never really been his surface and there's nothing in his recent results to suggest that's changed.
I think Nakashima flips this one. It might go the distance, but he's the better grass-court player of the two and that should be enough here, all things considered.
Prediction: Nakashima in 3
Tommy Paul vs Ugo Humbert
Head-to-head: Paul 3-0 Humbert
Three from three in the H2H, and Humbert has dropped nearly 100 spots in the rankings this year, so there's not much to suggest the trend reverses today. That said, Humbert can be dangerous on fast surfaces when he's finding his lefty serve and attacking short balls, but he hasn't been at that level consistently for a while now.
Hard to see this being competitive at all. Nothing Humbert has done recently suggests he can break a 3-0 stranglehold against a player ranked above him in a semi-final.
Prediction: Paul in 3
For full predictions on ATP and WTA matches today, check out Uppset.
Credit Image: © Marcin Cholewinski/ZUMA Press Wire