Pretty sexy poster, isn’t it?

This is a match that promises a lot. We should see some great tennis! A nice clash of styles.

After seeing a big improvement from Tien on clay this year, we’re expecting the same for the grass season, where I personally wonder whether he’ll be able to really express his tennis. I don’t have the answer to that question. Last year, we saw him win a few matches on grass. Notably in Mallorca, but that’s probably the least grass-like grass on the tour. I’d like to see what he can do elsewhere. Halle seems like the right place to test his limits. It’s a very fast, slick grass that doesn’t forgive you at all if you don’t really master the surface. He played a solid first round against a young local, but there was a real, big difference in level. Now he’s jumping straight into the deep end against FAA.

The Canadian got the win in fairly convincing fashion against Borges, but he did drop a set along the way. He really struggles to exist on return, even if he says he’s making progress there. However, I can acknowledge that it’s a good win to kick off his tournament. We’re talking about a Borges who’s inspired on grass and hard to handle. Personally, I saw a pretty decent Félix, and as I said in my previous analysis, I think the conditions this week suit him much better than those in Hertoghenbosch. Now he’s up and running, and that could be dangerous.

I’d like to hear your thoughts in the comments on this match, because for me it’s really hard to assess Tien’s potential level. He’s not very tall, but I’ve already seen him serve very well with that lefty arm, and I also think his very flat backhand can be a real asset on this surface. On the other hand, I’m a bit more pessimistic about his forehand, which has a lot of spin and height. That’s why his progress on clay wasn’t a real surprise, because he has natural weapons to be effective on that surface. I still get the feeling that on grass it’s a bit less obvious, without being disastrous either. One thing’s for sure: FAA has the experience and the conditions are in his favor. Is that enough to justify taking the risk of backing him?