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The men's singles draw for the Brisbane International has been released, and we could see a potential semifinal between Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray.
The Spaniard will be making his comeback at the ATP 250 event, with the playing field consisting of several quality players. These include Holger Rune, Grigor Dimitrov, Ugo Humbert, and Andy Murray.
So without any further ado, let's take a look at how the men's singles draw at the Brisbane International could pan out.
Top Half: Holger Rune, Ben Shelton, and Sebastian Korda to fight it out for SF spots
Seeded Players: (1) Holger Rune, (3) Ben Shelton, (5) Sebastian Korda, (6) Sebastian Baez
Expected Semifinal: Holger Rune vs Ben Shelton
Dark Horse: Matteo Arnaldi
Analysis: Top seed Holger Rune is a heavy favorite to win the Brisbane International, especially after his resurgence towards the tail-end of the 2023 season. The Dane will face Max Purcell in the opening round and should be able to come out on top without much trouble.
Rune should be able to reach the quarterfinals where he will most likely face fifth seed Sebastian Korda. While the American will be difficult to beat, especially if he replicates his form from January 2023, the Dane has the quality to get the better of him and reach the semifinals.
While Matteo Arnaldi is capable of having a good run in Brisbane, the other side of this half will most likely see third seed Ben Shelton and sixth seed Sebastian Baez fight it out for a place in the semifinals.
Shelton had a breakthrough season in 2023 where he reached the semifinals of the US Open and the quarterfinals of the Australian Open. While Baez is no pushover, the American should be able to get the better of the Argentine to reach the semifinals at the Brisbane International.
A potential last-four clash between Ben Shelton and Holger Rune promises to be an exciting contest given their quality and performances in 2023. However, Shelton's aggression might just about see him get the better of the Dane and make it to the final.
Semifinal prediction: Ben Shelton def. Holger Rune
Bottom Half: Rafael Nadal will look to start 2024 strongly
Seeded Players: (2) Grigor Dimitrov, (4) Ugo Humbert, (7) Tomas Martin Etcheverry, (8) Aslan Karatsev
Expected Semifinal: Rafael Nadal vs Grigor Dimitrov
Dark Horse: Andy Murray
Analysis: Rafael Nadal will start his 2024 season at the Brisbane International and his first match of the year will be against a qualifier. If the Spaniard wins, he will take on either eighth seed Aslan Karatsev or Jason Kubler.
The 37-year-old's most likely opponent in the quarterfinals will be fourth seed Ugo Humbert, who will be tough to beat. With the Spaniard's experience, he might manage a win over the Frenchman and make it to the semifinals.
The other side of this half has second seed Grigor Dimitrov, who will face Andy Murray in what will be the most highly-anticipated first-round match of the tournament. While fans would want to see a semifinal between Nadal and Murray, Dimitrov will most likely defeat the Brit and reach the second round. Here, he will most likely face Daniel Altmaier, where the Bulgarian would be expected to win and make it to the quarterfinals.
Dimitrov will most likely take on seventh seed Tomas Martin Etcheverry in the last eight and should be able to beat him to reach the semifinals. Considering Nadal hasn't played for nearly a year and Dimitrov reached a Masters 1000 final less than 60 days back, many would expect the latter to beat the Spaniard for the first time since 2016.
However, with the Spaniard gaining some rhythm, he might manage to eke out a win and seal his place in the final.
Semifinal prediction: Rafael Nadal def. Grigor Dimitrov
Brisbane International 2024: Final Prediction
An all-lefty final between Rafael Nadal and Ben Shelton is what has been predicted, and it could make for an interesting and compelling watch.
The Spaniard will surely have his task cut out but if he manages to reach the final, he should manage to come out on top given his experience and winning mentality. Nadal could be pushed to the limit but he should be able to get his hands on his 93rd career title at the Brisbane International.
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