The Belgian is on fire!

Even though I keep hearing here and there that he’s a bit burnt out, I think David Goffin is playing some very good tennis here in Shanghai. Good enough to beat Diallo?

And yes, because after his catastrophic US Open in terms of level of play (lots of imprecision at the net, dips in level within matches...), Diallo has put together three very clean matches! So we quickly start wondering about the matchup between the two. First, the match will be played at 12:30 local time on Grandstand 2. I don’t want to say something stupid, but I think it’s a bit faster than Center Court. It’ll be sunny and hot (Belgian spoonerism), so a bit less humidity. In short, ideal conditions for Diallo’s game, and I don’t think he has much trouble handling the heat. The Belgian will have to play his crafty counterpunching game to perfection because yes, I wonder if it might be too fast for him. The Belgian plays very well here. He has good memories. I want to believe in his lucky star, then I quickly come back down to earth. His age, the heat, the constant pressure from the Canadian giant-killer... I think this match could come down to fine details in the first set, a set that could be fatal to the Belgian if he were to lose it...