This rule makes no sense

Blockx retired in the last round of qualifying and he’s called up as a LL, that’s not normal

A back/shoulder problem that was apparently really making him suffer on every shot against Kubler. At the same time, he’s played a lot since the Next Gen Masters already! His camp says it’s not a very serious injury and that with a few days it could sort itself out, so there’s a strong chance we’ll see him back on court in my opinion. It’s always tricky to anticipate because this analysis almost entirely depends on Blockx’s ability to recover physically to give himself a real chance.

In any case, Faria seems to be guided by luck, he was supposed to face Cazaux who was possibly injured and now he gets a potentially injured LL, if with that he still doesn’t get through the first round! In my previous analysis I said he didn’t play well in the last round, probably because of the stress and the stakes, and he actually confirmed that in an interview. He also implies that he will play better now that he’s more relaxed, with the real big objective already achieved.

With him raising his level, I think he can put up a fight BUT for me Blockx is already much better than him in many aspects, the Belgian is ahead and without his injury I’d make him the favorite in this match without much hesitation. The choice of bet will therefore be crucial to avoid getting burned.