Popy in submarine mode

The Australian is really struggling this year, but he’s starting the clay-court swing well with an interesting win.

He had to beat Kypson, who played a good match; it was even a very good match overall, and finally a Popyrin on an upward trajectory. Even he says that being 1–0 on clay this year must help him get going again on the right foot. A good mentality, and Monte Carlo coming up as well, reminds us that he’s already done some great things on clay, so we can believe in a calmer second half of the season for him. So yes, it’ll take more than just one good match to really say that he’s back, but tennis moves fast, very fast.

Michelsen, on the other hand, is in an incredible stretch where he’s playing his best tennis, but he doesn’t handle clay well. He’s learning and trying to find his footing, but it’s far from ideal. I still don’t know how he picked up a clay title in 2025, because his movement on it is still not good. It wasn’t a great first round, which perfectly explains why he’s at 1.65! His margin on clay is small, and Popyrin can play well on it, so the Australian becomes a real threat for the American right now.

I’m expecting a hard-fought match where Popyrin can take advantage of Michelsen’s lack of experience on clay, which could show in one set or another.