Tommy Paul and Alex de Minaur are set to clash in the Hamburg Open semifinals on Friday. Both players have shown strong form leading up to the French Open. De Minaur secured a dominant victory over Luciano Darderi in the previous round. Paul defeated Daniel Altmaier, a home favourite, to earn his place in the final four.
De Minaur and Paul’s Head-to-Head Record
The upcoming match will be the seventh encounter between de Minaur and Paul. De Minaur has the advantage, having won five of their six previous matches. However, Paul secured a straight-sets victory in their most recent match at the Italian Open last year.
Paul’s Form on Clay
Paul is having a solid 2026, with a 23-9 win-loss record leading up to this match. The 29-year-old clinched his first clay title at the U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championships last month.
As the sixth seed in Hamburg, Paul started with a dominant win over Ethan Quinn in the first round. He then overcame clay-court specialist Tomás Martín Etcheverry in a close match featuring three tie-breaks. In the quarterfinals, Paul defeated Altmaier 6-2, 7-5, improving his clay record to 8-2 this year.
De Minaur’s Hamburg Run
The clay-court swing was challenging for de Minaur, who had a 3-4 record before Hamburg. However, he seems to be regaining his form before the French Open.
The third seed needed three sets to beat Francisco Cerúndolo and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. He then easily defeated Darderi to reach the semifinals.
Match Prediction
Paul’s superior clay-court record and title win on the surface this year should boost his confidence for the semifinal. Despite his past struggles against de Minaur, this could be a tight match.
De Minaur’s form appears to be improving going into the French Open. Defeating Darderi in dominant fashion will have given him immense confidence.
Paul has a superior clay-court record and has already won a title on red dirt this year. That will give him some confidence going into this semifinal, even if he has struggled against de Minaur over the years.
This could be a tight match that could go down to the wire. Both players have found some form in Hamburg, but we believe that Paul’s superior clay-court record and defensive skills will help him come out on top.
- Venue: Am Rothenbaum, Hamburg, Germany
- Live Telecast: Tennis Channel, Sky Sports, TSN
The winner will progress to the Hamburg Open final.