REVENGE

Junior must still have his extremely brutal defeat in Miami stuck in his throat...

The context is different; in Miami Arthur was completely toasted after his big tournament and celebrations, to the point that afterwards he managed his energy a bit better in the following tournaments. Just the fact of having a fresh Arthur this time reshuffles the deck; the Frenchman manages himself better over the long run and he’ll also be more driven than ever for revenge, he wants to get his own back. He doesn’t like the conditions in Madrid that much, he has a bit of trouble controlling what he’s doing and keeps saying so; this time he’ll play a night session and I wonder how much that could change things. On slower courts with heavier balls he’ll be able to hit harder without having to worry so much about control, which I think is a real argument in his favor, whereas Lehecka is thriving in the daytime conditions.

The Czech blew Musetti off the court with his power and aggression; he’s really understood how to play in Madrid this week and is hitting hard. His performance was perfect; he’s formidable when he gains confidence and can really let that confidence show, so I’m extremely wary of him again tomorrow. We’re in for a high-level match, two extremely powerful players capable of hurting each other quickly. Arthur is more complete, but if Lehecka’s game really clicks he can be far too lethal even for our Frenchman.

If I have to make a call based on what I’ve seen this week, I’d say Lehecka has impressed me more and that he can still be very dangerous tomorrow. Arthur is the favorite, but watch out.