Novak Djokovic and six other seeded players have crashed out in Brisbane, leaving only No. 2 Grigor Dimitrov in the semifinals. Dimitrov faces Jiri Lehecka on Saturday, while Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard goes up against Reilly Opelka.

(PR) Reilly Opelka vs. Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard

It could be biggest-serving matchup of the entire year when Mpetshi Perricard and Opelka collide in a surprising semifinal showdown at the Brisbane International on Saturday. A red-hot Mpetshi Perricard’s presence is no surprise, but no one could have expected a resurgent Opelka to make it this far–at least considering his draw. The 27-year-old American stunned Novak Djokovic in straight sets on Friday, building on previous wins over Federico Agustin Gomez and Matteo Arnaldi.

Mpetshi Perricard has been on fire dating back to last fall, when he captured an ATP 500 title on the indoor hard courts of Basel. The 21-year-old Frenchman is picking up right where left off, rolling through tough Brisbane tests in the form of Nick Kyrgios, Frances Tiafoe, and Jakub Mensik. Mpetshi Perricard has struck 75 aces in seven sets and has not been broken a single time. This match will almost certainly come down to nothing more than tiebreakers, but a supremely confident Mpetshi Perricard should have the edge in the pressure-packed moments.

Pick: Perricard in 2

Jiri Lehecka vs. (2) Grigor Dimitrov

Dimitrov and Lehecka will be squaring off for the fourth time in their careers on Saturday. Lehecka leads the head-to-head series 2-1; he survived a third-set tiebreaker at the 2022 Stockholm tournament and prevailed 7-6(4), 6-4 at the 2023 Monte-Carlo Masters. Dimitrov’s lone victory has come at the 2022 Australian Open via a 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 decision.

As the latter result suggests, Dimitrov loves playing Down Under–including in Brisbane. The 33-year-old is 26-6 lifetime at this event with two titles, and so far this week he has dismissed Yannick Hanfmann, Aleksandar Vukic, and Jordan Thompson. However, Lehecka clearly likes this matchup and is also playing great. The 23-year-old Czech lost just a single set (in a tiebreaker) while ousting Holger Rune, Yoshihito Nishioka, and Nicolas Jarry en route to the semis. An upset would hardly be surprising.

Pick: Lehecka in 3