Frances Tiafoe over Gijs Brouwer
There has been so much rain in Houston that there were three days when no one was able to play, or court. But finally, on Friday, it was time to play, and if the players won, they had to play once again, that day. It can be physically very tough. Yesterday, Tiafoe played sufficiently, winning two matches, and somewhat solid. At the start of the tournament, it looked like that he was struggling, and he needed to forget about the loses and move on. Here, it should be that when he is playing well, he is the top-seed, so he should win it all. But he still is not comfortable with the clay, but just like Rafa Nadal does, who is addicted to the dirt, and he also added with the grass, and the hardcourts. He knew it, but it took him for a while.
Believes it or not, Brouwer was born in Houston, Texas, even though he lives in the Netherlands. He did have some terrific wins last year, but he has yet to reach the top 100, so he has to fly into the sky. Yes Tiafoe will stop him, and crash him. The American will win it in two fun sets.
Tomas Martin Etcheverry over Yannick Hanfmann
It can be really odd to see that the two players have reached into the semis, as they have gone deep, hardly at all. But eventually, during a week, they can see exactly what they do and to push themselves. The Argentine is only 23-years-old, and at Indian Wells, he almost upset Andy Murray. That was a real grinder, and at least Etcheverry had some long, tough rallies, especially with there solid backhand. At Santiago, on clay, he reached the final, upsetting Sebastian Baez . Etcheverry likes a lot of the clay, grinding for along time, and he would try with his forehand quite deep. He has a long way to go, but at least over the past year, the 6-foot-5 man has added with some strong shots.
The German Hanfmann has yet to be into the top 90, and he is ranked No. 134, of course he wants to play so much better. This year, he had a few very good matches, when he reached into the quarters in Santiago, which was pretty fine. However, Etcheverryand will win it in two tough sets.
Matt’s yesterday picks
Correct: Frances Tiafoe over Gijs Brouwer
Correct: Tomas Martin Etcheverry over Yannick Hanfmann
Matt’s current week picks
14 out of 18: 77.7% correct