The Ukrainian volcano versus the chill attitude

The Ukrainian is one of the most explosive players on tour. Coached by Emmanuel Planque since 2024, she has regained a stability that allows her to tap into her phenomenal power. She’s coming off a standout Grand Slam semifinal that proved she can beat anyone when her maximum-risk game is dialed in. The problem in 20236 is that it’s not dialed in at all. Her mindset is letting her down and it’s turning into pure unforced errors. A binary, all‑in game, as I like to remind people.

The young 21-year-old Canadian is on a clear upward trajectory. Trained by the Tennis Canada team, including Andreescu’s coach on certain aspects, she made a name for herself at the 2023 Billie Jean King Cup, where she beat players ranked much higher than her. She’s a counterpuncher with excellent court sense and, above all, very calm. On the other hand, she still lacks physical stamina. She’s still an ITF player who lacks WTA experience. What’s more, a retirement forced her to leave the AO prematurely and she hasn’t played since!

Let’s talk a bit about the surface in Mérida: it’s rather slow with a regular, high bounce. The court at the Yucatan Country Club, with its abrasive surface and the heavy air (over 50% humidity tonight), tends to slow down the crispest shots and therefore doesn’t suit aggressive servers like Dayana, who will need to have an extra gear and limit her usual short-point patterns.