Another 5-setter again?

Once again, incredible matches from both men to meet here. This RG26 is magical. Who’s going to crack?

Physically, I clearly have my favorite here, and it’s the American. Big Foe finished strong against a Faria who was on fire for two and a half sets. Meanwhile, Matteo himself admits he ended up a bit tired and just needed to savor the win. Even if we see guys like Mensik come back from a deep state of fatigue and keep winning, Mensik still has a level of serving quality that allows him to “manage.” Matteo, on the other hand, has a lighter profile. He relies a lot on his explosiveness to dictate play with his forehand and defend well.

My second point is that, even if Tiafoe will have a decent match-up for himself with a bit of time to construct his points, he’s not the better clay-courter of the two. Every season, the American has a good run in Houston and then that’s it. The Roland-Garros quarterfinal last year? He barely played any real clay specialists.

But yes, we’re at a Grand Slam. And I remember Arnaldi’s match against Griekspoor in R1, seeing him not all that comfortable when he gets rushed, and Tiafoe knows how to apply pressure at the right moments (I’m thinking of those super aggressive second-serve returns, for example).

And finally, he has more experience at this stage of a Slam.

Conclusion?