3/3 all square

A big battle expected between JM Cerundolo, who's really coming into his own this year, and a Darderi who's struggling

Darderi’s rough patch is pretty hard to understand after a huge start to the season and a good Golden Swing. The Italian is clearly feeling it physically and mentally, in his game you can sense he’s forcing things more and lacking confidence; since Santiago his wins have been labored and his losses pretty alarming. He’s already talking about Rome and the grass season too, his statements are weird, you don’t really feel he’s present in the here and now. Madrid is good for his serve and his power but he can also lack control and rack up a lot of errors.

For this first round he’s facing JM Cerundolo again, a guy he knows inside out; all their matches are tight and they both really put each other through it. JM is a bit less flashy but he has the same win/loss ratio as Darderi this season, he’s consistent and his top level is improving too. The altitude is also a good thing for him, his loopy shots are effective and since he’s attacking a bit more, he’s becoming more efficient. His first round sets the tone: once he’s dialed in he’s a metronome who’s hard to deal with.

Darderi is desperately lacking confidence and against this type of player it’s hard to find any rhythm again; this match is another trap for the Italian, but you can count on his strength of character to push him to try to fight his way out of it.