The obstacle course

Rublev really isn’t helped by the draw. After having to deal with the tenacious Buse, he now runs into Carabelli, who is also a real handful.

It was so tough for Rublev in that first round. Everyone was expecting Buse to be completely cooked. He was indeed tired, but he showed incredible resources to really play a full match and put up a huge fight against Rublev, who pulled through in style, I’d say.

He’s really struggling with the heat and admitted that the late finish in the evening did him good because it started to become much more bearable. Except, tough luck for him, his second round is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. and it’s going to be very hot again!!

Carabelli has often disappointed me in Grand Slams, even though he has all the qualities to perform well. I don’t know if it’s still a lack of confidence or maybe experience, but this time I finally saw a very good first round from him against Nava, who is in great form. Carabelli’s game bothered him so much that Nava really had to overhit like never before to finish points. That’s the kind of match dynamic we could see again tomorrow and which, I think, will really bother Rublev once more, even if Carabelli is not as good a returner as Buse. I also think his level might be a bit lower, but over the long haul, he’s got just as many qualities.

I think Rublev is playing well at the moment, but in such conditions and in such a long format, I find it a bit hard to see him being perfect and winning cleanly.