What a luck!

To end up in the second round at Roland!

And at the same time, very well deserved for both players when you see their R1.

It’s true that it wasn’t really likely that Basavareddy would hold up in this long format. He played a brilliant match. If he manages to reproduce this level, he’s better here. But what are the chances of that happening again? Not that low in my opinion either. Basa has indeed gone back to being a Challenger-level player, he can’t make it to the next step, but over one tournament, he can absolutely play like a top‑50 again. And in Grand Slams, he generally shows up for his matches, the rascal.

Against Michelsen, his friend since they were 10, we’ll basically have variety versus power. Basa knows how to play with power and be aggressive, and Michelsen knows how to be crafty and solid in rallies, but there’s still a strong pattern there.

They’re one win apiece, on hard, with a Basa who bothered him too much with variety in a match that already had stakes in the Auckland semi-final. And on clay, tactics take on an even bigger importance. So I think I know which side I’m leaning toward here...