First Time

Both players are fighting for their first Grand Slam main draw win...

"Well, at least we had Cincinnati". That's how we can sum it up for Atmane, who has not been able to follow it up with anything noteworthy. With his ultra-aggressive and risky playstyle, it would always be hard to expect deep runs from him every week. Now, we are instead waiting on the tournament where it "clicks" for him again, and he becomes a danger for everyone in the draw. It's more likely to happen in non-Grand Slams, since his game feels more suited for best of three-sets... the longer format makes it harder for him to maintain the peak level he needs to compete! Now, he has a very winnable draw. Maestrelli is a Challenger-level player who will be making his second ATP main tour match (in the main draw)... the last time was in ATP Florence 250 in 2022! Last year was good for him, picking up 3 CH titles. I caught his last qualifying match against Lajovic. I found his level decent but not outstanding. Lajovic was quite erratic to give away a break in both sets 2 and 3 and was not at his best (he's getting old). Maestrelli was visibly emotional after qualifying, a big deal for him!

Between Atmane's inconsistency and Maestrelli's inexperience - and both's lack of a Grand Slam win, this one feels rather up in the air. I'm not as experienced and knowledgeable about Maestrelli as I am with most regular ATP players, but he seems to have a decent serve and an overall solid, slightly aggressive profile. I find it hard to predict a winner here, since there are a lot of unknowns for me. However, it wouldn't be surprising if those turn out to be a rather ugly, erratic match with both players struggling in key moments. Let's have a look at the odds to see if we can find anything...