the sixth of that name

Three wins to two for the Argentine, and a last victory that was particularly important for him this season since it took place in the final of his favourite tournament in Buenos Aires. This match meant a lot to Cerundolo, but the score doesn’t really reflect the match, where many games went to deuce.

The two players don’t have such a different average level on clay. The Argentine is defending a semi-final here, which also proves that the altitude conditions can suit him. It’s less obvious for the Italian Darderi, but once he’s settled in, I think he’s also capable of using the conditions to his advantage.

That’s the thought I had while I was watching his first match here. I’d had the impression for a while that his level wasn’t there because of a mental attitude he’s trying to fix. But his first match here was much cleaner. In particular, he managed to find that aggressiveness and power again without making too many unforced errors.

That allows me to move on to the match-up between the two players, where there’s a battle of aggressiveness. Both players like to take control of the game. And this style is not without consequences. It often comes with one or two service games from both players that are fairly lax, because of one, two or three unforced errors. So I’d expect a pretty tight match. Nevertheless, there’s a small detail that worries me: the Argentine’s withdrawal from the doubles in the Madrid tournament with, I quote, a right hip injury. This information should be checked because if the injury is real, it could really tip the balance.