Wide open draw

With Baez and Darderi losing, it's a big opportunity for the winner of this match

Darderi lost to JM Cerundolo, the Argentine blew him up in the long rallies and on this fairly heavy clay where Darderi’s ball weight isn’t as damaging as in Buenos. It’s a big win for JM Cerundolo, which also confirms his development: he’s trying a bit more on the forehand side, he’s gotten stronger physically and he has solid ambitions. I’m not going to sell him to you as a monster, far from it, he’s still the original grinder, it’s just that he goes for a bit more now, sometimes it’s good, sometimes it’s rubbish. After such a big battle I’m putting a warning on his physical condition because the conditions are extreme and I’ve already seen him cramp in Rosario when the match wasn’t even that demanding. With the humidity and the brutal scheduling I see a real risk that he really feels it today, that’s my number one argument.

Then I have to say that I quite like Hanfmann, when the German is in a good place with his tennis he’s a big-time player. His R1 against a local was almost perfect, nothing bad to say, he served well and controlled the game nicely. He has this ability to hit very hard and dictate play while keeping a nice touch on drop shots, and he can also come to the net behind his first serve.

Cerundolo leads 2–1 in the H2H, all three-set matches! Be careful not to get too carried away after his performance against Darderi either, because last week he went out against Martinez, a player who rushed him at the net really well, and Hanfmann knows how to do that...