A Viennese waltz on the program

Faced with legendary British sangfroid...

…the Russian-turned-Austrian could have her say. A chopped-up match against Lamens, marred by a lifeless first set, with Potapova in XXL unforced-error mode. On the other side, Lamens remains a pure clay-courter. In the second set, a similar scenario: Potapova trails 5–1, Lamens serves for the set, and that’s when the switch flips under pressure, with the Dutch player’s hand starting to shake. Potapova reels off six games in a row and eventually wins 6–2 in the third set.

Potapova is a baseline hitter and, when she’s confident, it’s very hard to break her. She always goes after the last point, puts in a huge amount of energy, and often ends up in long, drawn-out matches. Her flat game is quite unusual and difficult to counter.

The British number 1, still hampered by a recurring foot injury, had a rather easy first round, but I was left unsatisfied in Hobart. You could feel a player holding back, clearly lacking punch. Real discomfort or load management with the Australian Open in mind? Probably a bit of both. This injury could become problematic if the match stretches to three sets, especially since her pre-season was heavily disrupted by this physical issue. The lack of volume is obvious, and the eternal question of sponsorship continues to weigh on her mindset.

Under normal conditions, Raducanu has all the tennis needed to keep Potapova at bay. But here, between an ultra-combative Potapova on the baseline and a Raducanu far from her prime, I think there will clearly be a real contest.