A hot-blooded Russian

Kotov will have to battle in almost 35 degrees against a Spaniard who keeps repeating that he feels at home and that he plays his best tennis here

Carballes repeats 24/7 that he is playing the best tennis of his life in Marrakech etc etc. I find that to be true, I rarely see him (or even not at all) being so consistent all year round and having so many good matches. We can see that he feels really good in this tournament and is playing at a better level than usual, Kotov has some worries to worry about. The Russian also plays well but with him every match in the heat and against a good player it can quickly become a physical headache, he is lucky to have made an express quarter against Fognini but even with that I doubt that he is physically perfect tomorrow if the match were to last. We can note a confrontation in Madrid but conditions so much faster and different that it is quite useless. In idea we will see a more enterprising Kotov and a Carballes adding volume then countering at the right time. The Spaniard knows that he is stronger in the exchange and in the length, it is up to him to make this match long and physical