The 2019 Chengdu Open semi-finals will be played on Saturday, September 28 and you can find the Lloyd Harris v Alexander Bublik & Denis Shapovalov v Pablo Carreno Busta tips and predictions with their previews below.
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Lloyd Harris v Alexander Bublik Preview
In a rather unexpected semi-final clash, Alexander Bublik and Lloyd Harris meet for the first time in their careers.
Young Alexander Bublik has not done enough yet to be talked off in the same breath as the leading members of the ‘Next Gen’ such as Daniil Medvedev, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Alexander Zverev and others. Yet, he has shown signs of promise with an exciting game and interesting personality.
He was a losing finalist to John Isner at the Newport Hall of Fame ATP 250 and has had another good week here, beating in-form young rising American star Taylor Fritz, followed by Jordan Thompson in the earlier rounds. In the quarter-finals, Bublik saved match points against former world number three Grigor Dimitrov, to win a tight three-setter, in what is one of the biggest wins of his short career thus far.
Lloyd Harris is a lesser known South African, whose recent claim to fame was winning the first set against Roger Federer in the opening round at Wimbledon. He is ranked outside the top 100 in the world, but has done well to pull of victories here in his opening matches, against Marton Fucsovics, and Dusan Lajovic, and more surprisingly took out an in-form Jaoa Sousa to make the semi-finals.
Expect an interesting match here, with a lot to play for both players. Bublik has the bigger game, suited to the surface and has been playing with a lot of confidence. Expect him to win two tight sets.
Tip: Bublik to win in straight sets: 7/2 with 888Sport
Denis Shapovalov v Pablo Carreno Busta Preview
This will be the third ever meeting between Denis Shapovalov and Pablo Carreno Busta. While Shapovalov won earlier this year on the Rome clay, the Spaniard stopped his run when he burst onto the scene at the US Open in the round of 16, in 2017.
Shapovalov burst onto the scene in 2017, defeating Rafael Nadal, and Juan Martin del Potro at the Rogers Cup in Montreal, followed by a second week appearance at the US Open losing to his opponent here in Chengdu. Although he moved up to within the top 20 in the world, and was a semi-finalist, losing to Roger Federer in the Miami Open Masters 1000 earlier this year, he ran into some dismal form this summer.
Shapovalov is now ranked just outside the top 30, but he seems to have improved in both form and confidence, with Mikhail Youzhny added to his coaching team. He has shown good form and mental strength this week, winning some tight matches against Bradley Klahn, and Egor Gerasimov in the last two rounds.
Spain’s Carreno Busta was ranked in the top ten in 2017. But, the last year and a bit has been one marred by injuries and poor form. He has been on the comeback trail and had some good victories against the likes of John Isner, David Goffin, and Benoit Paire. Where he has faltered in recent times has been the ability to maintain consistency.
This week, however, the Spaniard has shown some consistent form, with impressive back-to-back wins against Benoit Paire, and Cristain Garin, and will now fancy his chances at winning the title.
A good match to look forward to, that could go either way. It will be down to who is better on the day, and who wins the crucial points. Picking Shapovalov to make the final, but just about.
Tip: Shapovalov to win in three sets: 7/2 with 888Sport