Another Chance Against the Octopus

"Hey, I just met you and this is crazy..."

So, yes... they faced a week ago in Beijing. We will have somewhat similar conditions, just some extra challenging conditions this time, especially since this match is scheduled as the last match. Medvedev has looked excellent so far in the entire Asian Swing. He could've been unbeaten; both of his losses came from him serving for the match in straight sets. When they met in Beijing, Fokina had just played a very fast match against Carabelli, so he had not really been tested properly before running into Medvedev. That could have very well played a part, cause he was very frustrated and just tried to force his way through Medvedev. I'm expecting a better showing from Fokina now (as is usually the case in a rematch within a short time for the loser). Fokina has indeed taken a big step forward this year, while Medvedev has been going the opposite direction for a while (although it seems to be going in the right direction again). This is a matchup that Fokina has never really liked... usually he tends to hit himself out of the match, sometimes taking a set and losing the other sets with somewhat lopsided scores, like 6-2, 6-3. Fokina's dropshot was misfiring badly last match; if he is able to get more use out of it, it's a big tool in this matchup due to Medvedev's court positioning. Despite the potentially rough conditions, I'm expecting a match with fewer breaks that is a bit more serve-dominated (esp with serve +1). And with this, I have an idea what I want to play here...