Roast land!

Both players are currently glowing. Analysis under close scrutiny...

Let's start with O'Connell. The Australian was playing really well until he played Tabilo in Chengdu. There, he was clearly too burned out to win that match, it was obvious. Unfortunately for him, he's playing VDZ two days later in Beijing. The trip is quite long because Chengdu isn't in the same region (much further than Hangzhou). Eight days later, he should have recovered well and therefore play as before. Be careful of the humidity in Shanghai though. As for Damir, it's different. I have more the impression that it's his season that burned him out. If we add the long trips in Davis Cup, we have a logical defeat against Etcheverry, and that correctly comes down to a defeat in 3 sets against Vukic behind. Let's admit that he's in good shape, I still find his average level lower. He's no longer the hyper-consistent Damir we saw for almost the entire season. In terms of matchups, I like O'Connell's ability to play fast and short. He'll be able to switch strategies during the match. We don't find that very fast or very slow in Shanghai. Unless it's a night session, I don't see a clear advantage for either.