The perfect opportunity

Quinn is coming off a title in a Challenger and just crushed Hurkacz, he’s ready to smack Casper!

Monstrous today against a Hubi who’s still just as invisible, the win is straightforward but realistic. Quinn is full of confidence and playing his game to the max, he’s taking the net whenever he can and holding the ball a bit more from the baseline too; that perfect mix, coupled with above-average serving quality, and boom, it hits the mark! I’ll add that he’s been particularly clinical since his run in Phoenix; in other words, the guy is a local on fire and clutch, the kind of first-round opponent you generally want to avoid, and it’s Mr. Ruud who’s going to have to deal with him.

The Norwegian isn’t putting up big results this year, but it’s not disastrous either. When I look at his losses, there are a few small hiccups but nothing dramatic, and in terms of his level of play I actually think he looks good! Last week he played a great match against Vacherot after the first set, and then bad luck, he runs into Alcaraz... This match will depend on him and especially on his ability to return; he’s going to be under huge pressure and get rushed whenever possible, so he’ll have to find solutions, but he does return from far back... His track record in Miami is very good, he generally plays well there. I don’t see any real reason to want to lay him, but I do see reasons to want to back Quinn. It’s not obvious!

Several scenarios are possible: Quinn can keep riding his momentum and crush Ruud’s spirit, or the Norwegian can play his tennis and figure out the answer on return, and in that case he’s clearly better. The momentum is in Quinn’s favor, everything else leans toward Ruud...