No one’s getting fired up?

After Nava’s great win over Berrettini we were expecting to see the American well priced, even overpriced, but in the end not at all!

A surprising win because we weren’t expecting to see Berrettini lose in the first round, but at the same time we know Nava is dangerous in these kinds of conditions. It was expected that he’d play better this week than in others, when he can really get his forehand and serve going without having to grind through 20-shot rallies against grinders on heavy clay. The scoreline is one-sided and flattering, but it does reflect the match well, and if Nava keeps this up he’s got a real shot here, especially since his second-round match will be against Vallejo, a player who’s inexperienced at this level but promising!

The young Paraguayan took advantage of an injured Passaro to get the win, and I almost want to say fortunately so, because the match wasn’t great quality on his side: quite a few unforced errors and the feeling that players here are struggling to find their rhythm before they can really get going, even though Vallejo already had two qualifying rounds in his legs. I find him much more interesting on heavy clay, but if he finds his bearings he can do some damage here. He’s a good clay-courter in the making, but for me Nava will have the match in his hands; he’s the one who will dictate the rallies and decide the outcome. If he sprays balls everywhere and can’t put one in the court on an off day, it’ll be the same story as against Tabilo and Navone recently. On the other hand, if he shows up with the same accuracy and attitude he had against Berrettini, then he can very much win and suffocate a Vallejo who’s still a bit green and reliant on his opponents’ mistakes.