The sequence!

This is the first question I’m asking myself here about the Italian, Cobolli. We know he still struggles to string tournaments together in a packed schedule. His opponent in the Munich final, Ben Shelton, had trouble getting into the match. Today, against a Carabelli who will play his role as a solid Argentinian, that raises some good questions. If the Italian is a bit slow to get back to his best level, I’m expecting a tight match in terms of score, maybe even with the Argentinian as the favorite. If the Italian immediately finds his game again, his topspin on serve and forehand will be very beneficial to him in Madrid, especially since the altitude will make up for his lack of power. I’d like to point out that when the Italian won in Acapulco at the start of the year, he only managed to back it up for one more match. That was against Kekmanovic in the first round at Indian Wells, and I remember that match very well. He started poorly in the first set and then found his solidity again, before collapsing physically against Tiafoe in the second round. That scenario is possible here, and I’m going to go check the odds on the Argentinian.