New Quentin?

Halys is coming out of the qualifiers and already seems to be in good shape before facing the local player Popyrin

Wins over Majchrzak and Spizziri, two players who were in good form at the end of 2025. A nice way to start the year. The speed of the courts helped him rush these mobile players who like having time and working their points. With an effective serve–forehand combo, Halys likes to dictate, and the “passivity” of his opponents was exploited. Now he faces a completely different profile in Popyrin: the Australian is just as good a server as he is, and he also likes to attack/dictate with his forehand. The level of hard-court tennis is going up a notch! This will be their 7th meeting, Halys leads 4–2 but a bunch of those matches were on clay, with only one on hard, so it’s hard to draw conclusions. I’d say with this type of player confidence is hugely important: good feelings on serve and forehand can swing the match either way, and right now it’s Halys who comes in a bit warmer with his qualifying matches in his legs. Popyrin will be playing his first match of the season and it’s at home, so a bit of tension is to be expected, and I doubt he’ll immediately play his best tennis, especially since he historically doesn’t perform very well at this tournament. Apparently he’s feeling a bit better this year, but that doesn’t change the fact this match is a real potential trap!