Does the road continue for Muller?

Great opportunity for the Frenchman to go get his first quarterfinal of the year.

Very good first round from the Frenchman, who got past Kecmanovic much more easily than last year to begin the defense of his title. He was particularly excellent on the backhand, very aggressive on the return, and he honestly looks physically ready, which is important for his game.

Giron also handled his first match perfectly by beating Djere 6/2 6/0. To be very honest, it went by so fast that I didn’t really get the chance to watch the match live. Overall, he played well while taking advantage of a completely absent Djere, who was probably slightly injured after the qualifying rounds. The bounce is relatively low here and that fits well with the American’s qualities, or a player like Borges for example, whom we’ve also seen performing well since the start of the tournament.

First meeting between the two men in what should be a big baseline battle. Personally, I give a slight edge to the Frenchman, who seems capable of having a bit more variety in his game and is also generally able to limit his unforced errors a bit more than Giron. I had already backed Muller in the first round and I’ll continue here, because to me he is a slight favorite in this matchup, which isn’t reflected in the odds and therefore gives us an opportunity.