An all-Italian showdown between Lorenzo Musetti and Matteo Berrettini headlines the semifinal schedule in Stuttgart on Saturday. Jack Draper and Brandon Nakashima are also aiming for a place in Sunday’s championship match.
(5) Lorenzo Musetti vs. (PR) Matteo Berrettini
Berrettini is a two-time champion of the BOSS Open (2019, 2022) and he is sponsored by BOSS, so it’s no surprise that he feels right at home at this tournament. A return trip to Stuttgart appears to be just what the doctor ordered for the 95th-ranked Italian, who has been plagued by injury in recent seasons. He finds himself back in the semifinals following victories this week at the expense of Roman Safiullin, Denis Shapovalov, and James Duckworth.
Standing in Berrettini’s way of another final appearance is his compatriot, Musetti. They have faced each other just once before, when Musetti scored a 7-6(5), 6-2 win in the 2022 Naples title match. The world No. 30 is by no means most comfortable on grass, but he has done well this week to defeat Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard (in two tiebreakers), Dominik Koepfer (in three sets), and Alexander Bublik (via third-set retirement). Unfortunately for Musetti, Berrettini’s serve is rocking–no worse than 67 percent first serves in any of his three matches and 43 total aces. Berrettini’s bid for a third Stuttgart title should remain alive.
Pick: Berrettini in 2
Brandon Nakashima vs. (6) Jack Draper
Draper is always dangerous on grass and his 2024 summer on the green stuff is certainly off to a good start. The 40th-ranked Brit has advanced this week with wins over Sebastian Ofner, Marcos Giron, and Frances Tiafoe–the latter in a third-set tiebreaker. Draper will likely be no worse than a career-best No. 33 in the world next week, putting himself well within the conversation of Wimbledon seeding.
Up next for the 22-year-old on Saturday is a third meeting with Nakashima, with the head-to-head series tied at 1-1. Nakashima prevailed in four sets at the 2022 NextGen ATP Finals before Draper got the job done 6-1, 3-6, 7-5 at the 2023 Bergamo Challenger–also on an indoor hard court. Nakashima struggled most of last season and was just 6-7 on the main tour in 2024 prior to arriving in Stuttgart, where he ousted Chris Eubanks and lucky loser Richard Gasquet before getting a walkover from Jan-Lennard Struff. Draper should have the edge in this one on what may be his favorite surface, especially if he serves like he did against Tiafoe (31 aces).
Pick: Draper in 2
