My darling

I like Spizzirri more and more, but let’s stay objective!

Qualifications breezed through, first round superbly handled against Mannarino and a real sense of gaining momentum for Spizzirri, which reminds me a bit of his run in Brussels. His serve is on point, he’s super active from the baseline and playing his best tennis. He already pushed Borges in Athens at the end of last season by the way, he’s really not that far off in terms of level. Borges got himself out of the Etcheverry trap in a deciding tie-break, but I found him a bit underwhelming: just one break point created in 2h30. Even though Etcheverry served well and is solid on his service games, that’s not great. That’s how the Portuguese plays though, he’s rarely so dominant that he leaves a huge impression; he won’t give anything away and will fight like crazy until the last point. That’s his big strength and what helps him win matches where he’s not necessarily the best player on court. After a tight but successful first round, will the Portuguese once again scrape through by sheer grit, or will he crack against the dangerous qualifier?