Monteiro again and again

Impressive to see how much the Brazilian has transformed in the space of a few matches. He is the favorite in this meeting but watch out for the Chinese Zhang, who also seems to be finding his tennis again in this tournament!

After easy qualifying and two simple first rounds, Monteiro had to fight hard to overcome an excellent Kecmanovic. The Brazilian was more realistic, once again we feel that the guy is on cloud nine, everything is going his way, he even saves a match point. In the content we found some of its faults, poor quality of feedback, a crumbly reverse, some gross direct errors. Nothing to worry about, however, I found him less good than in the last matches and I even think that Kecmanovic deserved the victory. I also saw Monteiro touch his shoulder several times in the final tie-break, nothing serious apparently. As for Zhang, this tournament marks his long-awaited return. Disappointing in Madrid, he seems to be in good shape with a great level this week. His serve hurts, his forehand is monstrous and he doesn't move too badly! When I see how much Monteiro was in difficulty on the return games against Kecma I tell myself that Zhang has something to do. The Chinese has just played two left-handers in quick succession, not the same profiles as Monteiro but at least the guy is experienced. So, are we betting on the in-form Monteiro or the dangerous outsider Zhang?