Now it gets interesting...

Fairly indecisive meeting between two players of similar level in indoor conditions. Rune beat him at the start of the year but since then, Rune hasn't really been brilliant. Let's dig!

Indeed, Rune beat him in 2 sets in Brisbane while Safiullin had just beaten Shelton, Popyrin and Arnaldi. He certainly had a good match but above all I think that it is the match up that suits him rather well. Because if we ask ourselves for 5 seconds, why is Rune struggling so much at the moment? I'm speaking on a tennis level, eh, we'll put aside the convolutions of those around him here. Tennis-wise, the guy really wants to be the best version of himself in every match. He doesn't play the opponent enough and strives to play tennis that he doesn't yet have the level to play. Against an intelligent counter like Monfils, Machac, Bublik... it's tricky for him. But the Russian is built differently. He is the type who wants to make the play by attacking with superb ball quality and timing. This is why he excels in indoor conditions, but this is also why he is a good opponent for the Dane. Other information to consider is that we haven't seen Safiullin since the Australian Open and his defeat against Griekspoor when he led 2 sets to zero. A little difficult so this meeting, let's go see the odds right away 👇