A surprising final?

Not really. The profiles of both players are perfectly suited to the conditions in Hertogenbosch. And we should have a tactically interesting match.

And yes, in these very particular conditions, with a very slow grass court, we’ve seen profiles like De Minaur and Majchrzak perform well all week and throw off more powerful players and big servers like FAA or Damm. I think it’s a great final for a rather unusual grass-court tournament. I’m really happy to see these two players at this level. It’s not a surprise for De Minaur, who remains a top player but has gone through a crisis of confidence that still isn’t fully resolved, even if he’s finding ways to win matches again. And for Majchrzak, it’s a bit of something new and exciting to see him confirm the good level we know he has. He’s a player capable of performing well on all surfaces with a very enjoyable playing style. We should get a nice final.

We have a very particular match-up, with two players who play low, who are mobile and not very tall, and who don’t have truly big serving quality. I see some similarities with De Minaur’s match against Mannarino. We know the Frenchman’s game can annoy a lot of players on tour, but De Minaur was still barely disturbed by his style. And for me, Majchrzak is in that same category. He’s a player who can unsettle his opponents. De Minaur has enough weapons and intelligence to handle this kind of match better.

Let’s say I’m worried about seeing Majchrzak without a plan B if his game isn’t effective against De Minaur, and for me, that’s likely to be the case. In their two previous meetings, De Minaur won quite comfortably, and this is again the kind of match where, if the Australian quickly takes control and gains confidence, he can just roll and steamroll his opponent. That closes the door on game handicaps and overs, which are very dangerous. At most, you might try to go more aggressively for a Majchrzak set, or then see live if De Minaur looks a bit tense and affected by the stakes, given that he really isn’t in great confidence at the moment.