Will Power Overcome Grit?

Can Kecmanovic blast through Etcheverry's defense?

Kecmanovic was absolutely electric in his first-round match against Muller, an opponent with whom he had struggled in the past. He came out swinging hard, constantly hitting with excellent depth to the baseline... from both wings. Something else I thought he did really well is the running forehands, either hitting a huge ball crosscourt or hitting the corner down/up the line. I was slightly critical of his effort lately, but he was running around like a madman here... I think playing indoors is great for him. Also, the slow-ish conditions seem to work fine for him; he can generate a lot of pace himself... at least until he meets a terrific defender that will get enough balls back ;) Etcheverry was fortunate to be playing Lajal instead of an ATP-level player, cause that's the reason he is still in the second round. I was on Etcheverry in that match, but I did not find him convincing. I found him quite passive; his forehand was not really able to penetrate the court, and he relied on a lot of errors from Lajal instead... which is a fine game plan against someone as erratic as Lajal. Still, he let Lajal take charge, and Lajal was also 3-0 up in the third set before collapsing and losing six consecutive games. It was a good comeback, but a lot of it had to do with Lajal "choking"... it was bad. Nonetheless, it was his first match back post-injury, and we know he is a warrior, so I expect him to use this as fuel and come out better in this match.

As for the matchup, Kecmanovic will be looking to dictate, and as usual with Kecmanovic, the question is: can he do it without too many dips? There is a pattern with Kecmanovic: he starts really well, his level drops, and he loses the second set, and then it becomes a big fight in the third set - there is a reason he plays so many three-setters! The longer this match goes on, the bigger the chance that Kecmanovic can not sustain his level and Etcheverry grinds him down...