Felix Auger-Aliassime is the lone remaining seeded player in Montpellier, and he is joined in the semifinals by two qualifiers. Saturday’s lineup is Auger-Aliassime vs. Titouan Droguet and Martin Damm vs. Adrian Mannarino.
(1) Felix Auger-Aliassime vs. (Q) Titouan Droguet
Auger-Aliassime retired from his first-round match at last month’s Australian Open, but a return trip to the Open Occitanie appears to be just what the doctor ordered. The top seed and defending champion followed up a bye with straight-set victories over Stan Wawrinka and Arthur Fils.
Auger-Aliassime’s draw gets friendlier on semifinal Saturday with Droguet on the other side of the net. The French qualifier registers at 150th in the rankings and had won only three main-tour matches throughout his career prior to arriving in Montpellier. Droguet has advanced with wins over Jan Choinski, Aleksandar Kovacevic, and Tallon Griekspoor. A step up in competition against one of the best indoor players in the world will likely see an end to the 24-year-old’s breakthrough tournament.
Pick: Auger-Aliassime in 2
Adrian Mannarino vs. (Q) Martin Damm
Mannarino and Damm will also be going head-to-head for the first time in their careers on Saturday. Although Mannarino was losing matches left and right prior to this week, a semifinal appearance is no surprise given that the setting is an indoor hard court in France. The 37-year-old lefty is an entirely different player when you put him on this kind of court or on grass. He is once again delivering in front of the home crowd, earning a place in the last four with defeats of Pedro Martinez, Ugo Humbert, and Arthur Gea.
Damm’s best-ever result has come at the expense of Hubert Hurkacz, Roberto Bautista Agut, and Luca Nardi — all in straight sets. Through three rounds in the main draw, the 6’8” American has fired 40 aces and has faced only two break points. In five matches (two in qualifying), Damm has not dropped serve a single time. With the 22-year-old cruising and Mannarino coming off two very tough matches, the much younger player should have the edge in this all-lefty showdown.
Pick: Damm in 3