The special Zizou

The Belgian suddenly shows up at the big tournaments as if by magic

Withdrawing from Phoenix, not really in a good rhythm and a rematch against Brooksby who had shut him down in Dubai, everything was going against the Belgian and yet he won easily today. The playing conditions weren’t ideal with the wind, but he managed his match perfectly and his performance really makes you want to back him this week. We know him, it doesn’t take much for him to get his spark back, and this kind of tournament in Miami is the perfect spot for him! He says he took a few days off and is arriving in good shape for this event; it’s not the first time he’s needed a break to come back stronger, and it’s clearly working well for him! I really like this first round, and the second will have to be even better!

A big battle is waiting for him against Etcheverry, the Argentinian is tough and extremely hard to beat no matter the surface. I don’t feel like this is really his kind of tournament though; he’s coming off a very long Golden Swing and he only played one match in Indian Wells (which was decent) and now here he is again. He has to get the engine going once more and we’re expecting a bit more wind tomorrow; I really don’t have a good feeling about him, but he’s going to fight hard as always.

Zizou leads 1–0 in the H2H from Winston-Salem in 2024, I’m expecting another tight match, once again. The overs might be worth targeting, but it’s something else that interests me...