After a thrilling day of quarterfinal action at the Bavarian International in Munich the semifinal line-up is set. It features both established names such as French Open semifinalist and third seed Marco Cecchinato as well as more recent breakout stars such as Chile’s Christian Garin, recently the champion in Houston. But who will claim their place in the Bavarian International semifinals?
Bavarian International Semifinal Predictions
Marco Cecchinato vs Christian Garin (first on Center Court)
In their third meeting, former French Open Boys’ champion Christian Garin will hope to overturn a 0-2 head-to-head deficit against Italy’s Marco Cecchinato. Their first meeting came in the second round of qualifying in Buenos Aires in 2015, with Cecchinato claiming a 7-5 6-1 victory. Their rivalry was renewed earlier this year in the Argentine capital, with Cecchinato claiming a 7-6 6-4 in the second world. Cecchinato has also impressed in besting Martin Klizan and eighth seed Marton Fucsovics. Garin, meanwhile, has scored notable wins over Diego Schwartzman and defending champion Alexander Zverev.
Cecchinato possesses powerful groundstrokes, particularly his one-handed backhand which is one of the most effective in the sport. He also uses the drop shot to good effect to draw opponents off the baseline. Garin, meanwhile, is equipped with a dangerous forehand and a reliable first serve. He also returns well, winning an impressive 60% of the point against Zverev’s second serve in their quarterfinal match up. After another excellent week, Garin will surely be full of confidence. But Cecchinato is a dangerous opponent with the power to keep Garin pinned behind the baseline.
Prediction: Cecchinato in three
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Roberto Bautista Agut vs Matteo Berrettini (second on Center Court)
In a rematch of the 2018 Swiss Open final, Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut will face Matteo Berrettini of Italy for a place in the last four at the Bavarian International. Berrettini won that final to claim his first tour-level title, to which he added the Hungarian Open last week. However, Bautista Agut avenged that defeat in the first round in Doha earlier this season, beating the Italian 6-1 6-4 in Doha. Bautista Agut began his week in fine fashion, dispatching German teenager Rudolf Molleker 6-4 6-2 before rallying past the in-form seventh seed Guido Pella 4-6 6-4 6-0.
Berrettini, meanwhile, proved too strong for Denis Istomin and Denis Kudla, beating both in straight sets. He then battled past Germany’s Philipp Kohlschreiber 4-6 7-5 7-5, relying on his powerful groundstrokes to hit through the veteran Kohlschreiber’s defences. Bautista Agut cannot match that power, but he does cover the court extremely well and his flat groundstrokes can prove to difficult to contend with. Indeed, he should be able to prevent Berrettini deploying his heavy artillery. It’s also questionable as to how much Berrettini will have left in the week after his exertions in Budapest and a tough quarterfinal against Kohlschreiber.
Prediction: Bautista Agut in three
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