The AC

We go from a possible Fokina/Tien to this Majchrzak/Halys, that stings

The air-con, but it’s deserved given how both of them played! I’ll start with Majchrzak, who’s rediscovered the desire to play this week and has just put in another great match after his one in the first round. He played better than Tien and it took a particularly good Tien in the second set to do something, otherwise he was taking it in straight sets. Majchrzak is good tactically, he makes his opponents work and can come finish at the net; I like to say he’s atypical because he’s a nightmare to play when he’s in form. Halys has already lost to him twice, including once this season actually.

The Frenchman, who’d been looking off in the last few tournaments, has just woken up by pulling out a crazy match against Fokina. Impeccable serve, well-placed attacking game and still able to make his opponent play when needed despite his natural playing style — it’s the early-season Halys we’d been missing. He’s going to have to reproduce the same performance tomorrow and that’s not easy, especially with the opposition changing completely: we’re going from a Foki who hits without thinking to a Majchrzak who plays low over the net and varies his game wonderfully. A more annoying profile for Quentin in rallies, he can break his rhythm and drag him into patterns of play that are tricky for the Frenchman. We can count on Halys to play his attacking game and try to keep his own rhythm; after a win like that he’s got nothing to lose and will again be aiming for tiebreaks for instance, and we know how hard he can be to beat in this kind of week.

I’m still team Majchrzak because the match-up leans his way, but I don’t want to see him priced too low either.