Daniil Medvedev vs Roman Safiullin Prediction, ATP Hangzhou Semifinal Betting Tips

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The semifinals of the AITO Hangzhou Open have thrown up a fascinating mix of top seeds looking to justify their billing and a Frenchman who has absolutely no business being here and yet very much is. Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev look set to meet in the final if form holds, but Roman Safiullin and Kyrian Jacquet will have something to say about that. Here are my thoughts on both semifinal ties.

Andrey Rublev vs Kyrian Jacquet

These two have never met before on tour, so there is no head to head record to lean on. Rublev got through Hugo Gaston in three sets to book his place in the last four, though it was far from convincing. He was sitting pretty at 6-1 up in the first set tiebreak and somehow contrived to lose seven consecutive points and let the set slip. He then threw away a double break in the second. For all his talent, Rublev’s mental fragility is a very real concern and it was on full display in that quarterfinal.

Kyrian Jacquet is the undeniable story of the week. The 25 year old Frenchman came into the tournament ranked outside the top 100 and has since knocked out third seed Tomas Martin Etcheverry and sixth seed Fabian Marozsan to reach the first tour level semifinal of his career. That kind of run breeds a dangerous confidence, and if he can keep the pressure on Rublev and drag him into the kind of scrappy, attritional tennis that messes with the Russian’s head, there is absolutely a route to an upset.

That said, Rublev is still a class above and has the weapons to close this out if he keeps his focus. Jacquet will push him hard but I expect Rublev to get over the line.

Daniil Medvedev vs Roman Safiullin

Another first time meeting between two players who know each other well off the court. Medvedev was given a genuine examination by Coleman Wong in the quarterfinals but showed the composure of a top seed to see it through. This is his first hard court semifinal since Indian Wells back in March, and getting back into that winning rhythm on a surface he knows so well will matter.

Safiullin is playing some seriously impressive tennis and his win over Yunchaokete Bu in the quarters showed real quality. He is an aggressive ball striker who looks to take time away from opponents, and against a player like Medvedev who thrives on longer rallies and retrieval, that approach could cause problems. He will need to serve at a very high level to keep Medvedev on the back foot throughout.

The thing about Medvedev is that he is the master of making these matches ugly. He gets so many balls back, forces extra shots, and slowly seeps the confidence out of opponents. I think he does exactly that here, grinding Safiullin down over the course of three sets.

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