Make way for the youngsters

The youngsters are all the rage in Miami! But they’re not going to make it all the way to the final either...

The 20-year-old Spanish prodigy, who was being talked up already 2–3 years ago, took a bit of time to blossom. Now at last he’s starting to find some consistency in his results, and above all in the level he’s showing on court. His tennis is really clean, and the Spaniards are right to think he can go far. But he’s a bit erratic, and also a bit one-dimensional in his game. Conveniently, his opponent today is too! Khachanov is stringing together matches at a good level, but for now the performances aren’t paying off. His attitude and this constant drive to get back to the latter stages really reassure me in this match, which could very quickly turn into a trap against a Spaniard who has nothing to lose. But the Russian is in a good place with his tennis. Nothing like a good Bautista Agut to tune you up when you think about it. I even saw him hit some really nice drop shots! Anyway, you know how I feel about this one…