A Tough Opening Round

I'm sure both players were hoping for an easier opponent to start off...

Korda had a decent run in Asia; he lost to Wu, Fritz, and Bergs, all of whom had great tournaments. Still, he must be disappointed... with his potential, not getting any further than a QF in those three tournaments. We haven't seen Popyrin since the American hardcourt season; he's been out injured with a back issue. Neither player has really excelled indoors on the main tour, despite both of them having quite a suitable game for it. I would say that it suits Korda slightly more; he is a bit more "fragile" and benefits more from not having to deal with outdoor conditions (whereas Popyrin thrives in physical matches). Both players won't mind this matchup... Korda does prefer Solid Baseliners that let him dictate and get rhythm, but the Big Server / All-Court combo is not too bad for him either, at least it's better than an Attacking Baseliner or a tricky Counter Puncher. As for Popyrin, he has a 40-25 HCP record against Attacking Baseliners like Korda... and his record as an underdog is one of the best (even better when he is a big underdog, like 3.50+). This match should be quite serve-dominated, with both players having a big serve and the ability to close out points at the net. Korda might be slightly more talented, but Popyrin has a lot more grit and resilience when it comes to big moments of the match. It remains to see what level Popyrin can bring in his first match here, not having played for a while. Could Korda take advantage of a Popyrin that starts slow, especially early on...?