Who are you, Arthur?

Cazaux was starting to get a reputation as a choker, but lately he’s been a beast down the stretch.

Cazaux fought like a demon again in the first round and came out on top down to the wire. A high-level match with 23 aces from the Frenchman and no fewer than 29 trips to the net (66% success — not crazy, but Martinez is good in the touch game). He took a medical timeout (MTO) for an arm or forearm issue, but he didn’t seem limited; I’m guessing the start of a cramp or he just wanted to get the arm loosened up. I’m not too worried — we’ve seen him string together big matches for a few tournaments now and everything’s clicking. He’ll still have the juice, and he can count on some oddly wild support for him over there. He better be ready physically and mentally for another fight, because playing Norrie is grueling — the Brit tests you in long rallies and mentally too. He comes into this tournament winless on the Asian swing; he lost to the young Zhou and then Medvedev — not terrible, but still. Physically you always have to keep an eye on him, even more when it’s humid; first round or not, his engine can start overheating. Cazaux has a nice edge with his serve and the aggression he brings; you can tell he’s brimming with confidence, he goes out and takes his matches. If it goes to a third set, I’ve got him as the favorite — the momentum’s better and I think right now he’s playing better than Norrie too.