Hugo should expect to get struck by lightning.

Tough draw for the Frenchman, who runs into Kopriva. The Czech is in great form. He’s just notched an impressive win over Marozsan, confirming his current good form after a strong tournament in Madrid.

Kopriva easily dispatched Marozsan 6-3, 6-3 in a near-perfect match. I say near-perfect because he did concede a break early in the second set, but that was about all he did wrong in the match; he broke back very quickly afterward. A victory in line with what he showed in Madrid. His level of play is very high right now, his style of play is still as frustrating as ever for his opponents, he offers atypical angles and surprises many with his down-the-line backhand, which is perhaps his greatest weapon. An interesting weapon before facing a left-hander, obviously, but I haven't forgotten that Kopriva hated the match-up against Jodar in Madrid.

This matchup could resemble what awaits him against Hugo Humbert, given that the Frenchman also looks to hit hard and outpace his opponents, just like Jodar. The few minor differences compared to that matchup are obviously the conditions. It's much slower than in Madrid. Kopriva will have more time to defend and will be under less pressure. The second difference to note is simply the gap in skill level between Jodar and Humbert. The Frenchman is far from playing as well as the Spaniard, and even more so on clay, which is undoubtedly his worst surface. These two factors lead me to believe that Humbert, despite a playing style I find troublesome for Kopriva, might not be good enough to truly trouble him.