The two nutcases!

Two players here who are capable of anything, but with very different average levels. Anything that can be done?

We find ourselves here with a huge favorite, the Spaniard, whose status is legitimate given the gap in average level between the two players and Fokina’s performance in Acapulco. However, the Spaniard didn’t seem comfortable on court. I’m not sure if that’s just my own biased impression, but he looked a bit too serious. So I’m ruling out the option of Fokina’s money line at 1.25 or 1.30. In terms of match-up, I’m not too worried for the Spaniard because Bellucci’s lefty game isn’t very problematic against someone this mobile, with a good two-handed backhand and who knows how to cut off angles. It’s a favorable match-up for him, and Bellucci only beat a Hijikata who showed his limits in terms of pure level. The Italian’s level has been quite up and down, often needing to initiate play and come to the net, which is a tough position to sustain with discipline and efficiency throughout an entire match. That said, Bellucci’s performance in the first round doesn’t suggest he’s capable of producing a huge match. Yet we know that in this kind of match, where there’s nothing to lose, it can push you to bring out your best tennis. If we have to look for something, it would be in favor of the Italian, possibly capitalizing on the feeling that Foki isn’t comfortable. On the other hand, he says he stayed very focused throughout the match, showed professionalism, and liked his own reaction. In his match against Altmaier, he had a tough start to the first set, but he didn’t collapse, despite making a lot of errors. It was messy on the Spanish side as well, and for me, there’s nothing that justifies betting on his money line at such a low price, even with a favorable match-up.