Vallejo is ready to seize the opportunity

This player has been grinding through Challengers for several seasons and his moment of glory has finally arrived; this third round could become a real turning point

And that makes 4 wins for Vallejo in Madrid, bringing him to 29 (yes, 29) wins this season. People often talk about confidence, and here we’ve got the perfect example. I don’t know if in the long run he’ll be able to keep up this level and confirm it off clay, but this week you have to rate him as a top clay-courter capable of taking out a lot of players. The conditions are outstanding for him, he keeps saying it, and it’s ideal because he puts height and volume on every shot; against Tien that’s what made the difference. His playing style completely stopped Tien from dragging him into short rallies, and in the end Tien cracked. I’m a bit mixed about Vallejo’s performance though, it wasn’t anything crazy, but his clay-court IQ got the job done and he also had huge crowd support on that small court. Moving onto a big court changes things a bit and messes with his reference points.

The opponent is stronger too. So far he’s beaten Martinez/Rocha/Dimitrov/Tien; Cobolli is better than all of those players when he’s just as dialed in. He got through the Carabelli trap in the first round, that was the real banana-skin match for him for example, and despite losing the first set he really ground it out properly. He likes these conditions as well: high bounce + fast courts is what he enjoys most. I was really worried about that first round, but now that he’s up and running you also have to rate him as a top player, which is what he is on certain weeks.

Even though Vallejo is dangerous, I feel this match is on Cobolli’s racket: if he plays his best tennis, then he’s going to win. He’s in good form and that’s also a big factor with him: back him when he’s feeling good and lay him when there are doubts.