So surprising?

Rinderknech’s victory isn’t a huge surprise to me; he’s been playing at a really high level for a while now, and it’s well deserved.

A bold win over Zverev, Arthur went and took the match like a big-time player and once again proves he’s dangerous this year. I was already impressed by his nail-biting loss to ADM last week, so to me he’s just validating the high level he’s had for a while now! Unplayable on serve, proactive from the baseline, and above all steadier than before in long rallies when it’s about making the opponent play, he kept his aggression while ironing out the silly errors, and that mix is deadly. I think he looks great, but he too is struggling with the Shanghai conditions; physically, I wonder when he’s going to end up hitting the wall. His game is there, but you need the engine to string together matches at this level, especially with the opposition set to ramp up in the form of Lehecka. I’ve been hyping the Czech as a big dark horse since his first round and I stand by it—he’s got something to do here, especially given his current level. On top of being excellent right now, he has the luxury of being fresh in this tournament: no long matches so far and, above all, no matches since the Davis Cup, and that’s a big factor given how important the physical side is this week. So even though I think Rinderknech is super good at the moment and capable of holding up, I’m afraid Lehecka will gradually wear him down.