La Mussette, not yet back

A bit of a blow for our rital with smooth and silky hair. Just as he was starting to feel the ball again, he took the Safiullin bomber right in the face!

Two days of rest and we return to the fight for Khachanov. Before his match at the US Open, the Russian had been away from tournaments for 3 months due to a stress fracture contracted in his back. His thirst to play again and find his level made him win the humid and hot tournament in Zhuhai. Small doubts therefore about his ability to recover, both physically and mentally, especially after missing 3 months of competition (which can also be an advantage by giving him a huge thirst for a match).

We have a little more doubts about the level of Mussette. He seems to have regained his goodwill with his defense, his reading of the game, his mischief and his passing but it remained a little weak on the backhand side against Safiullin. By raising his level of play in the second set, he failed to make the difference. It must be said that the Russian was in heat. Khachanov will often take him into a baseline battle but can he still go the distance? He still looked physically strong during his final...