Really not the planned quarter.

Logic said we should have ended up with Hurkacz against Cobolli, but they both lost and they deserved it!

The two surprises of this tournament in their section of the draw. Damm came through qualifying and is imposing his powerful lefty game, with a serve that’s extremely hard to return in fast conditions, and Nardi is shining thanks to his counterpunching quality and solidity from the baseline. Damm is clearly the bigger danger given his profile, it’s exactly what you look for indoors, and he’s so confident right now that it amplifies his high-risk game. Barring a drop-off, he’s going to be hard to break and you’ll need to be clutch to knock him out.

Nardi is a different story. The Italian is confident too after a good Challenger and two well-controlled opening rounds, but his game is less suited to indoor conditions. On the other hand, his strength is an extremely solid backhand and strong counterpunching. If he manages to contain Damm in the first few shots of the rally, then after that he’s clearly on top. There’s not much history on his record against left-handers, but I’d imagine he handles them pretty well.

The margins will be thin either way; both are playing well, both can get frustrated, and the conditions point towards a tight, closed match. You have to make your choice!