Top two seeds Novak Djokovic and Lorenzo Musetti remain on a collision course for the inaugural Athens final. On Friday they have to pass Yannick Hanffman and Sebastian Korda respectively in the semi-finals.
Sebastian Korda vs. (2) Lorenzo Musetti
Musetti is two wins away from a place in the Nitto ATP Finals. The world number 9 was in position heading into the Paris Masters before Felix Auger-Aliassime – at least temporarily – stole the all-important eighth spot by reaching the championship match. To get him back, Musetti must lift the trophy at this week’s Hellenic Championship. The 23-year-old has given himself a chance with victories over Stan Wawrinka – after coming within two points of defeat – and Alexandre Muller.
Korda stands in Musetti’s way in the final on Friday, with the scores tied at 2-2 in the head-to-head series. Not surprisingly, Korda is 2-0 on indoor hard courts and 0-2 on clay. The 52nd American’s victories came at the 2021 NextGen ATP Finals and the 2022 ATP 250 in Metz. It’s true that the surface favors Korda, but Musetti is a very different player now on faster courts than he was in 2021 and 2022. The Italian is currently the superior all-round player and there is clearly a lot more at stake, so expect him to have a slight edge.
Choice: Musetti in 3
(1) Novak Djokovic vs. (Q) Yannick Hanfmann
Djokovic seems surprisingly motivated at this ATP 250 event, as he may want to get as many matches under his belt as possible ahead of his expected appearance in Turin. After all, the 38-year-old has played sparingly in recent months; his only other appearance since the US Open was the Shanghai Masters, where he reached the semifinals. Djokovic left Athens with outright defeats against Alejandro Tabilo and Nuno Borges.
Next up for the world number 5 on Friday is a third meeting with Hanfmann, who has lost both previous matches: 6-3, 6-3 on the red clay of Geneva last spring and 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 in Shanghai last month. It’s already been a busy week for the 117th-seeded German, who qualified for the main draw in Athens before dismissing Ivan Ivanov, Vit Kopriva and Marcos Giron. Hanfmann is playing well, but he will not surprise Djokovic after a set against the 24-time national champion in Shanghai.
Choice: Djokovic in 2
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