The 2019 ATP Japan Open semi-finals will see Novak Djokovic lead the draw on Saturday, October 5. Get the latest Novak Djokovic v David Goffin & Reilly Opelka v John Millman tips, previews and predictions below along with some other matches.
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Novak Djokovic v David Goffin Predictions & Preview
The world number one Novak Djokovic will face off against David Goffin for the ninth time in their careers when they play their semi-final of the Japan Open 2019. Djokovic leads 6-2, making us dig deeper to search for a chance that Goffin might have.
Unfortunately, the wins for Goffin have come on clay and grass and even the one on grass was in an exhibition event in Boodles. Three hard court matches have all resulted in victories for Djokovic, although Goffin did manage to push him to three sets in Cincinnati 2015.
That aside, Goffin’s hopes could well be punctured by the way Djokovic has gone about his business in this tournament. Three straight-set wins in which he has dropped a total of 17 games makes it tougher for the world number 15, but the other way to look at it is that Djokovic hasn’t really been up against a stellar opponent so far.
Goffin will also take hope from his own performance against Denis Shapovalov and Hyeon Chung, both of whom he defeated in straight sets to reach the semi-finals. He had earlier made it to the fourth round at the US Open as well and was the losing finalist to Daniil Medvedev in Cincinnati.
All said and done, Djokovic will be a heavy favourite here and it’s tough to see Goffin come close to even winning a set.
Tip: Djokovic to win in straight sets: 10/11 with Unibet
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Reilly Opelka v John Millman Predictions & Preview
This will be the first time that the American Reilly Opelka will take on John Millman of Australia at the highest level on the ATP circuit, and it could well be a tight encounter. Opelka, ranked 53rd in the world took out Japanese qualifier Yasutaka Uchiyama in a quarter-final while Millman got the better of the other Japanese quarterfinalist Taro Daniel 6-4, 6-0.
In getting to the semi-final, Opelka has won all his matches in straight sets so far. The opposition hasn’t been the greatest, Taylor Fritz and Gilles Simon before that win against Uchiyama and now he faces the 80th-ranked Millman. This will be his golden chance to make it to his second final of the year.
Millman, on the other hand, has had to make it to main draws of couple of recent tournaments using the qualifying routes but done well to get there and then win some. This, however, is the first time he will be playing in the semi-final of an ATP tournament this year, having won a Challenger recently.
Can he overcome the tall-serving Opelka, who has the second-most aces this year on the ATP tour? Sounds like a tough task and we reckon Opelka should get through in straight sets.
Tip: Opelka to win in straight sets: 13/10 with Unibet
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