Is De Minaur in danger?

A favorite coming in not at 100% against a hometown player who’ll give it everything—could that be enough to spring an upset? Let’s see!

The Australian has just withdrawn from the UTS with the same hip issue that bothered him for a long time last year. According to his statements, it’s precautionary, but we’ve also learned the pain has been there for several weeks and that he played Shanghai on anti-inflammatories. He’s in the race for the Masters, well positioned but not entirely certain to make it, with others charging hard behind him. Maybe he feels a bit obliged to play to secure his spot, so something to keep an eye on, as he may not be coming in under the best conditions.

Across the net, not much to say: an Austrian wild card for a player who hasn’t managed to consistently clear the top-100 threshold. Rodionov is a good player, a lefty with a nice touch, but his serve isn’t great for his size, and he’s exactly the kind of opponent ADM usually handles without too much trouble. Just one win in 6 appearances here, so not exactly a tournament that’s suited him so far.