A Tricky Test on the Comeback Trail

Matteo had a decent showing in Tokyo...

And now let's see if he can continue to build his level in Shanghai. Mannarino has been playing well for a long time now; the loss against Musetti doesn't bother me much in a tough matchup for him. Neither do I think Berrettini's loss to Ruud was bad (Ruud was playing great); he kept it close in the first set in very tough conditions before falling apart in the second set.

This matchup is not ideal for either player: Mannarino doesn't like to face Big Server / Attacking Baseliners (he is very good against regular Attacking Baseliners, though) and while Berrettini is decent against Counterpunchers, two things make it harder than usual... he doesn't have a lot of rhythm/confidence yet to work through them (recent match against Svrcina as an example) and the fact that Mannarino is a lefty that can target his backhand easier. I can see this match having some momentum swings, Mannarino tends to have some weak moments in his first rounds, and Berrettini will struggle in the parts of the match where his serve is not "clicking". I do think both players will be able to hold their serve fairly well. Berrettini always does, and Mannarino's serve is underrated, especially having the lefty serve against a Berrettini that is not too sharp on return...