Fancy seeing you here again!

Third showdown in just a few weeks, and Paul already has a solid edge—he really seems to have this match-up under control.

I saw their two matches and Paul is really comfortable against Etcheverry because he doesn’t mind grinding in long rallies and on top of that he often gets to dictate play or even come forward to the net. He gave Etche two beatdowns but both times the score was pretty harsh; Etche deserved better numbers-wise. Both matches were in the US too, on Paul’s turf, so maybe playing far from home could slightly change the context of this match and make him a bit less sharp in all areas?

His first round was good once again, that’s no surprise given how he’s been playing this season, but he still had a little dip in the second set where he didn’t have the same intensity as in the first. He pulled himself together well, but it was already the case in Rome and I get the feeling it could happen again if the match ends up being a long one.

Etcheverry, on his side, beat Atmane quite comfortably; nothing negative to say about his match, he finished without getting his serve broken and I saw a good level from start to finish. He’ll come in tomorrow with solid, steady tennis. I really think that over the long haul he can hurt Paul; we’re moving to a heavier clay with a high bounce that suits his strengths much better than in their previous meetings. I’m quite hopeful of seeing him do something and I’m hoping the market really pushes Paul’s way!