The US Open Rematch

Basavareddy gets a shot at revenge...

I remember their match from last year's US Open, as I had done the preview and watched it. Basavareddy was the better player at the start, and that pattern lasted for a decent amount of time. As the match went on, his inexperience in best-of-five sets and longer matches on the tour level started to take a physical toll on him. This is quite visible if you just have a look at the first serve % in numbers from that match, Basavareddy had around 60% in set 1 and 2, then 40% in set 3, and almost 30% in set 4! What worries me a bit is that this was a first-round match... Now, he's had a tough qualification run and a decently physical five-setter against O'Connell in the first round already. Hey, at least Khachanov is also coming from a tough five-setter against Michelsen! I really liked the way Basavareddy controlled the points at the start of the last match. He was moving Khachanov around the court well and was able to come to the net to finish the points at the right times. I remember Khachanov was frustrated by this. Another slightly positive thing for Basavareddy is the weather; it's not projected to be a hot day tomorrow. Would it be surprising if we saw the same thing here? Basavareddy off to a good start and then slowly fading as the match goes on...?