Prudence and patience

The end of the tournament in Rio is shaping up to be quite chaotic with the rain that’s forecast.

Quite a few interruptions yesterday in Buse's match and given the forecast this end of the tournament is going to be pretty stop‑start. It’s really not easy to bet in these conditions because a physical angle can be completely wiped out if a match gets postponed, for example, and I have to say we’ve got two players who are both close to showing their limits as well, so that makes it even more important!

Buse has just pulled off another upset by beating Berrettini, he’s really clever and tactically good, he had a plan against Berrettini and it worked well, he’s great at making the other guy play and adapting. When I read his little post‑match interviews I see a smart young player who already manages things well. Especially with all the multiple interruptions yesterday, for me he won it by restarting better every time, even though on the other side Berrettini has a ton of experience. If the match is choppy again or played over several days, he starts with a slight edge.

Tabilo would almost be happy to have interruptions too because physically he’s not the sharpest on tour, he was starting to be really worn down against Tirante yesterday in the last set but his opponent blew up before he did. He really reassures me in terms of level of play and mentally right now, but I’m wary of a physical drop with him which usually means a lot; when he blows up, it’s never halfway.

Tabilo leads the H2H but Buse is improving fast and well, I’m impressed by his solidity this week and his mental resources…