Mpetshi has to confirm

After taking out Paul, our Frenchman opened up the draw and is playing Hijikata for a spot in the quarters!

A Giovanni-style win: nonexistent on return but flawless, or almost, on serve. He was clutch in both tiebreaks, but he can also thank Paul, who lacked a killer instinct. Just like Opelka, Mpetshi is deadly in these ultra-fast conditions; his serve is almost impossible to break, and his service games depend only on him. He now faces Hijikata, who dominated his compatriot Walton with astounding ease! Walton played poorly, but Hijikata was perfect and, above all, never gave him the slightest hope—he knew how to be ruthless. The Australian is finding his form again, and with the Australian Open approaching, we have to be wary of him. However, he hates playing big servers; statistically, it’s his worst matchup, and I’ve seen several matches against that kind of profile where he just can’t get into it and ends up underperforming a bit. This time it’s a bit different since he’s in good form and full of confidence, and most of all, he’s at home—he’ll give more than anywhere else. The matchup is still bad, but even good returners are almost nonexistent on the return against Mpetshi. We’re set for a tight battle that will most likely be decided by tiebreaks once again.