Tommy Paul, the champion two years ago, is two wins away from another Queen’s Club title — but he will have to get through Ugo Humbert first. Brandon Nakashima and Francisco Cerundolo will also be in semifinal action on Saturday.
Brandon Nakashima vs. (7) Francisco Cerundolo
Neither of these guys is a name you’d circle in a Queen’s Club semifinal, and yet here they both are. Nakashima has been downright tidy, rolling through without dropping a set and then taking apart top seed Alex de Minaur 7-5, 6-3. He hit through the court, served his way out of both break points he faced, and looked completely at home coming to net. Francisco Cerundolo knows his way around a grass court, although he’s better known for his clay-court and Miami Masters prowess. He won Eastbourne back in 2023, so it’s not entirely a surprise to see him in the business end of the tournament. The catch is how he got here, grinding for two hours and 39 minutes to escape British wild card Arthur Fery. That’s a long afternoon, and the freshness gap between these two is hard to ignore.
The biggest factor is the surface. Fast, warm London grass rewards Nakashima’s flat, early ball-striking and his comfort at net, while it takes some of the bite off Cerundolo’s heavy topspin. Cerundolo is the higher seed with more big-match reps, though, and he hasn’t been beating himself. I have the American moving through — but with some effort.
Cheryl pick: Nakashima in 3
Ricky pick: Nakashima in 3
(6) Tommy Paul vs. Ugo Humbert
Paul arrives as the 2024 champion and the closest thing this draw has to a favorite. He’s on a long Queen’s win streak (he missed 2025 with injury) and striking the ball well. Paul dispatched Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the quarters, and he is playing like he believes there’s a second trophy here for him. Ugo Humbert is a lefty and former Halle champion who absolutely has the grass game to hurt anybody. The problem is that he has been off the boil in 2026. Humbert has survived this week more than dominated it, saving four match points earlier in the run and grinding out two third-set tiebreakers just to get this far.
The history is lopsided, with Paul holding a 3-0 edge in the series. Form and the record both point the same direction, so the real question is whether Humbert’s grass pedigree is enough to make it a fight or whether Paul’s level just settles it.
Cheryl pick: Paul in 2
Ricky pick: Paul in 2