Alex de Minaur has progressed to the semifinals in Hamburg. This follows his victory in the quarterfinal. Tommy Paul also made it through to the same stage.
De Minaur’s Hamburg Run Continues
De Minaur’s two victories in Hamburg are a welcome change. Prior to this, he failed to record a win in Madrid or Rome. His opponent, Darderi, had impressed in Rome, reaching the semifinal. Despite Darderi’s clay court ability, de Minaur’s game is well-suited to counteract players like Darderi. The expectation was that de Minaur would secure his place in the semifinals by consistently getting the ball into play, and he did.
Paul Advances After Tight Battle
Tommy Paul has also reached the Hamburg semifinals. He fought through a tight battle in the previous round. Paul won an epic match against Tomas Martin Etcheverry in a deciding set tiebreak.
His opponent, Altmaier, fought back from a set down against Ben Shelton. Altmaier relied on his serve. Paul’s better return and willingness to extend rallies made him a difficult matchup for Altmaier.
Other Quarterfinal Results
Humbert faced Buse in another quarterfinal match. Buse has been superb in Hamburg. He swept aside Flavio Cobolli and Jakub Mensik after two qualifying victories. Humbert overcame Justin Engel and Karen Khachanov in deciding set tiebreaks. Buse’s excellent performances and his opponent’s likely fatigue led to a prediction of a Buse victory.
Kovacevic played Carabelli. Each player caused an upset to reach this stage. Kovacevic eliminated Felix Auger-Aliassime, despite losing the opening set. Ugo Carabelli triumphed against Frances Tiafoe. Kovacevic utilizes an aggressive style, but Ugo Carabelli is best-placed to counter that on clay.
Many ATP players are using the Hamburg tournament to get match practice. This is in preparation for the French Open main draw, which starts in a few days.