R3 incoming!!

The two outsiders Mejia and Zheng prevailed, causing an upset in their respective first rounds.

I'll start with Mejia, who just beat Valejo despite being the underdog. I bet on Mejia because, for me, on this surface he does much better than Valejo, and that turned out to be true. He can serve very well, play smart and flat, and produce an interesting brand of tennis.

We saw all his emotion after his final victory. He's not a player who's used to competing at this level, but I can assure you he absolutely earned his place. I'll repeat what I said in the first round: I've seen him several times play good matches during the US swing or in the nearby tournaments. He plays better on fast courts. It was really a good win for him. There's just one small downside: his MTO taken at the end of the match for a back issue; we have to see if, once he's cooled down, it's still manageable.

No negatives on Zheng’s side after his win over Norrie. On the contrary, it was a well-deserved victory with an excellent level of play in every area. Despite his height, he has real serving quality, defends well from the baseline, and also knows how to play an inspired brand of tennis at the net. He’s complete, young, and talented. He has already performed well on grass in his youth when he was playing juniors, and he’s confirming that he can once again play very well on it. Without a doubt, in the coming months we’re going to see him break through. He has pretty much everything to succeed at the very top level, and I think we might be witnessing his breakout at this tournament. This second round is a real opportunity for him, but also for his opponent. However, in terms of the actual tennis, I still see a clear edge for him.