Only two seeds remain in Almaty, but the semifinal lineup isn’t particularly surprising since Aleksandar Vukic and Gabriel Diallo are worthy unseeded foes. Vukic awaits Karen Khachanov, while Diallo goes up against Francisco Cerundolo.
Aleksandar Vukic vs. (3) Karen Khachanov
Khachanov and Vukic will be going head-to-head for the third time in their careers when they battle for a spot in the Almaty Open final on Saturday. They have split their two previous meetings; Khachanov got the job done in four sets at the 2021 Australian Open before Vukic survived in a third-set tiebreaker this summer on the grass courts of ‘s-Hertogenbosch.
Vukic may be the underdog on paper, but he has great chance of pulling off another upset. The 85th-ranked Australian has won 22 matches on the main tour this season and has improved his lifetime indoor record to 47-30 with Almaty victories over James Duckworth, Adrian Mannarino, and Frances Tiafoe–all in straight sets. Khachanov has struggled since a decent clay-court spring; in fact, this is his first semifinal appearance since capturing the Doha title in February. The 26th-ranked Russian has benefited from a favorable draw this week, but it could come to an end against a relatively in-form Vukic.
Pick: Vukic in 3
(4) Francisco Cerundolo vs. Gabriel Diallo
Diallo has been one of the tour’s breakout performers in 2024. Although he has not made a ton of headlines and probably isn’t known outside of hardcore tennis circles, the 23-year-old Canadian is projected to break into the top 100 on Monday even if he loses his next match. Diallo made a third-round run at the U.S. Open as a qualifier and so far in Almaty has dismissed Christopher O’Connell, Borna Coric, and No. 2 seed Alejandro Tabilo.
Up next for the former University of Kentucky standout is a first-ever showdown against Cerundolo. The 31st-ranked Argentine booked his spot in the last four by beating Justin Engel and Alexander Shevchenko. Still, it has been a mostly disappointing year for Cerundolo and he certainly isn’t at his best on indoor hard courts. Despite having been on tour much longer than Diallo, Cerundolo owns just 12 wins all time on this surface compared to his opponent’s 43. Sound the upset alert for this match, as well.
Pick: Diallo in 3
