A Smoother Round Two?

As usual, Felix had a battle in the first round...

We see it quite often with Felix. Even as a big favorite, he tends to play a long first round, often due to some big errors from his side. Once his game starts clicking (i.e., he gets used to the conditions), he plays on a different level and tends to take control of the matches. That's pretty much what happened today against Comesana. When Felix is playing well indoors, he is really hard to stop! His forehand is absolutely brutal, and he barely needs to hit backhands because his opponents are just scrambling to get the ball back on the other side, not able to get enough depth or control to stop him from hitting another forehand. Another thing to mention is that he plays with such a high pace, it simply tends to become overwhelming for a lot of players. However, he maintains this really good version of himself for a while, and then comes the opposite - the one who double-faults and hits some crazy errors. FAA expressed that he really dislikes the tennis balls used here, mentioning that it's hard to hit the spots while serving or trying to hit winners. Muller has looked quite flat in his recent matches, but I liked his opening match! Nakashima is quite vulnerable to players who raise their level, since his own level remains consistently solid - nothing more or less. Felix will be a tougher test for Muller, but I don't hate the matchup for him. While Felix can be overpowering at times, I find Muller quite good against this rather one-dimensional type of pace. He will have the crowd behind him, and I also think he is playing without a lot to lose here, as the underdog. We must acknowledge the FAA's high ceiling indoors, as well as his improved performance after completing his first round. I also have some slight concerns with how Muller will react to FAA's pace, but the slower courts definitely help...