Rune against Fils, Humbert against Machac

In the somewhat surprising line-up in the semi-finals in Tokyo there is only one seeded player, Holger Rune, who will continue his title hunt against Arthur Fils on Monday. Ugo Humbert and Tomas Machac are also on the schedule.

Arthur Fils against (6) Holger Rune

Rune and Fils won their respective circuses on Sunday and will now face each other in the semi-finals of the Japan Open on Monday. One point before losing to Kei Nishikori in the quarterfinals, Rune managed to prevail 3:6, 6:2, 7:5 despite physical problems. Fils survived an even crazier match, defeating Ben Shelton 7-5, 6-7(5), 7-6(2) after exactly three hours. Both Rune and Fils appear to be struggling with knee problems and the Frenchman also had cramps during his third set against Shelton.

They have only played one straight game, with Rune winning 6-3, 6-3 in Rome last year. The Dane was eliminated in the summer against Hamburg with a deficit of 6:4, 4:1. There's a very good chance Monday's competition will also end in retirement – one way or another. Given Fils' rollercoaster ride in the quarterfinals, Rune is probably the more reliable of the two players… but that's not saying much.

Selection: Rune in 2

Tomas Machac versus Ugo Humbert

This is another showdown where absolutely anything can happen, as both guys – and especially Machac – are extremely unpredictable. Machac is a top-10 talent when he plays well, but he often comes into a sweat out of nowhere. The 34th-ranked Czech defeated Alex Michelsen in straight sets on Sunday, but flirted with disaster against both Alexei Popyrin (7-5 ​​in the third set) and Tommy Paul (7-6 in the third).

Humbert seemed to be one of the best players in the world at the end of last season and the start of this season, but he was terrible this spring and basically all summer, aside from his fourth-round appearance at Wimbledon. The 19th-ranked Frenchman is suddenly back in business this week, reaching the semifinals with straight-set wins over Shintaro Mochizuki (6-1, 6-2), Brandon Nakashima (6-3, 6-2) and Jack Draper ( 7-5, 2-1, eliminated). When Humbert plays well, he is a liability on any fast or even relatively fast surface like that in Tokyo.

Selection: Humbert in 2