A little bit further again

In their last meeting Atmane took the first set before collapsing afterward

I think Atmane has already proven in the past that he’s able to string together multiple high-level matches in a week like this, so I do believe he can pull off another big performance tomorrow. His match today against FAA was excellent without being in “I’m completely overplaying” mode; he had a big slump in the second set, then recovered perfectly in the final set after that. It’s great to see him at this level here, I actually think the conditions suit his game well in the end. Strangely, his forehand kicks up quite a bit higher compared to other players and he’s also improved physically, it’s a top-50-level Atmane in the next rankings who wants to settle in for the long run, and I do think he’s clearly gaining in maturity. Taking a set tomorrow against Tiafoe wouldn’t even be a surprise given his level; as Elie would say, he’s locked in. Small shoulder alert though: MTO and taping, he didn’t seem bothered but I’m noting it.

For Tiafoe, the little warning sign will be physical and about how long he can last: he’s not the kind of champion who can easily chain matches together, and he’s coming off a huge, tense battle against Mensik. He was clean too, he even went out and grabbed the win in the deciding tie-break by stepping forward, whereas usually he’s the one who tightens up and kind of lets it slip, in my opinion. He’s continuing his climb back up this season and he’s hungry for wins; he loves playing at home and this victory will do him good for his confidence—winning that kind of nail-biter really gives you a boost. But if he’s tired, we’re going to see it straight away..