A bit of a breather?

No time to catch his breath for Cerundolo, but if he wins today he’ll get a day off.

I'm so torn about Cerundolo... The post-title period is not easy, yesterday he started really badly against Navone before finding his tennis and logically winning, but I’m still wary because with him, with a bit of fatigue, things can go downhill fast. On the other hand, I’m reassured by his intentions this week, he says he feels good and knows he can have a big tournament. He didn’t celebrate his Buenos Aires title in excess, that’s reassuring too. Another point in his favor is the defeats of Baez and Darderi, two strong contenders for the title. Obviously, when the draw opens up like that, you’re kind of forced to get even more involved because your chances of winning the tournament increase!

That’s what’s pushing me to go with Cerundolo. This second round is still within his reach against Tirante, another Argentinian. His game is pretty punchy, especially on serve and forehand. He got past Garin in a really poor-quality match in terms of level; I didn’t see a brilliant Tirante you’d really need to be wary of... I think Cerundolo returns better than Garin and above all he’s 10x better right now, so I’d still be on his side.