The king of grass!

Mannarino is pulling his classic move again with a catastrophic clay season, then a legendary resurgence of form on his beloved grass. Can we consider Mallorca as a real grass-court tournament? Yes and no.

Let's say that at the start of the tournament, the courts are closer to classic grass. They deteriorate very quickly and resemble a tournament on fast hard courts with a fairly high bounce. We've been talking all week about extremely high temperatures under the sun, which makes for fast conditions. Strangely, Mannarino A. has always had a good tournament there; I couldn't say why. In any case, for me, he doesn't maintain his grass-court experience advantage like he does in other tournaments, for example, the one in Hertogenbosch where I can completely understand why he's a nightmare to play on. However, in Mallorca, I'd say it's a bit more typical and he perhaps has less room for error than elsewhere.

This tournament could suit Borges well, as he likes fast-paced matches and enjoys a good matchup. The Portuguese player doesn't return the ball exceptionally well and likes to have time to settle into his game. He's really someone who likes to control the match. He can also withstand pressure and force his opponent to play deep, but if he finds himself too much on the defensive, it's not comfortable for him. I remember his first-round loss last year against Michelsen, in a matchup he didn't like, which was also interrupted by rain. So far, his grass-court season has been a bit disappointing in terms of results, but his overall performance has been quite convincing. He should have won his match against Cilic, but lost due to a lack of composure, and then took a set off FAA in Halle. We're seeing a good Borges right now, and he's been playing well for several weeks now. We also have a good Mannarino, who is on his preferred surface, but I think the match-up is slightly more in Borges' favor here.

The other major factor in this match is obviously the heat. It's being played at 12:30 PM in full sun, with temperatures nearing 34 degrees Celsius. I don't recall seeing Mannarino affected by the heat, but I could be wrong. I don't get the impression that it's bothering Borges much either. But we'll obviously have to keep an eye on it live tomorrow, in such extreme conditions.