Too big a difference in level?

Tien is playing remarkable tennis and he’s on fire; even though clay isn’t his best surface, he’s improving on it.

After his title in Geneva, people were wondering how Tien would adapt this week, and we can say he answered a few questions with his win over Garin. He had a huge dip in the second set, but that’s pretty much the only real criticism you can make. I should also say his opponent played an awful match, but on his side, Tien played well, and he says he’s understanding the surface better and better, and given his qualities, we know he can play really well on it.

He’ll be up against Diaz Acosta, who’s resurfacing again, and we know that with him, things can escalate very quickly. He’s already played very well in the past, and his only real limitation is injuries. I liked his first-round match against Zhang, but there really wasn’t much level on the other side of the net. It’s far from what he’s facing in this second round. Will he manage to make Tien lose his cool, or will he get blasted? I think we can pretty much all agree that Tien’s ceiling is way higher than his, but we’re on clay and in heavy conditions. That can favor the Argentine over the long haul. Once again.

Even though I have to admit that Tien is playing great tennis at the moment and seems capable of stringing wins together, I find he has too many lapses in his matches. On clay, that stands out even more if his opponent manages to hang in there long enough when Tien is in form.