A hope?

Well, you never know with Moutet!

Our two protagonists each had an easier first round than usual against opponents who are normally tough for them, even though they are far from being in the form of their lives. They took advantage of it to play better than in their previous matches, and regain some confidence. In terms of the matchup, I think we really have to be careful with the conditions in Beijing which favor defenders, baseliners, and those who have a powerful shot to make the difference. Perfect for Z with his serve and backhand, and his resilience from the baseline. But he has some flaws at the moment. And Corentin was clutch against Tallon! And during their meeting this year in Stuttgart, Z came close to losing this set 2. I think that as often, Z will be "overall" superior in this kind of match, but that he will surely be shaken up in a set, and if he loses it, his demons could well return. In short, still no confidence in Z, especially at 1.21. So I'll look for something on the Coco side, and the best bet seems obvious to me...