The Right Man for the Job

Can Munar take advantage of a potentially physically limited Diallo?

After his win in four sets against Dzumhur, Diallo displayed some worrying signs when he could be seen sitting in his chair and grimacing. He even got help carrying his bags away from the court... so either he was really tired or there is some form of injury. As for the match against Dzumhur, I thought he played decently in a tricky match, but was mainly able to take advantage of Dzumhur's below-par level. Diallo's serving was pretty good, but I still have question marks for the rest of his game currently... his baseline game & volleys are not at the same level they were during the grass season. Munar cruised through his opening match against Faria, despite a drop in level in the third set... but he was completely dominant, and his defense really frustrated Faria.

This matchup is not too different from what Diallo just faced in Dzumhur - a counterpuncher. Munar will make himself very hard to hit through while having a better serve than Dzumhur (which is a big deal, Dzumhur's serve really let him down). Munar is also able to get more depth on his groundstrokes and attack a bit more often. Munar is not as good with lobs and passing shots as Dzumhur, so that might be a factor if Diallo goes to the net a lot! Diallo leads the H2H 2-0, with the first win a year ago at this exact spot. Diallo was able to pounce on Munar's serve, and his forehand was able to dictate and finish points, guiding him to a 4-set win. Diallo ran into Munar again in Mallorca and easily disposed of him in straight sets (Diallo was in great form during the grass season here). So, yes, he knows he has the ability to hit through the Munar Wall. We know that Munar will be eager to take on this challenge to exact some revenge, and we also know that he has improved as a player on hardcourts this year, posting better results on them than on clay. However, in the end, the big question is what state Diallo turns up in...