Chance Number 3

Will Mensik show up in Paris after an early Basel withdrawal?

It's hard not to feel disappointed for the people attending ATP Basel. It's a big and prestigious event, yet multiple players have either withdrawn or retired within the last days. And yes, Mensik is one of them... ahead of his big showdown against Fonseca (left foot injury). We did get to see his opening round against Bernet, and despite his opponent's huge potential, I was not overly convinced by Mensik! And that's been a pattern for a while. Mensik's second half of the season has not been too good, and it seems like he has been dealing with physical issues for a while now. Cerundolo was also one of the top performers for a while this season, but has struggled lately to maintain the same level in different conditions and on various surfaces. He managed to easily sweep aside an uninspired Michelsen in the first round, before meeting the same fate himself against Bublik!

These two faced off earlier in Madrid, where Cerundolo barely managed to turn the match around in a second-set tiebreak and win the decider. They also faced off in Beijing last year, where Cerundolo won in straight sets. While the faster conditions here should help Mensik's serve, I find the rest of his game very lacking at the moment. He is vulnerable on his second serve (also with double faults), his groundstrokes are quite passive, and he struggles to take the initiative in rallies. Cerundolo has the rally tolerance and forehand power to make Mensik's life difficult here, as long as he can get into enough rallies...