Can he continue after a slight detour?

Tirante is having a breakthrough year...

Yes, the slight detour I was referring to was the grass season ;) Hey, it was not that horrible, only three matches and still an OK showing. Not like Argentinians have a reputation for thriving during this period! Tirante's game is rather "simple", nonetheless effective, especially when the conditions are right. A big first serve and a huge forehand. However, the backhand is a massive liability, especially in faster conditions where it can be targeted and rushed. In slower and higher bouncing conditions, he is more likely to be able to run around to hit forehands, which allows him to dictate the point and keep hitting forehands.

Ofner has been struggling for a while now, but at least it is better than the second half of last year, which was a disaster. I remember seeing him in practice before the tournament in Båstad last year, and while he was working hard, it was quite visible that he was not really in the best form then. He went up against Dzumhur, who is a nightmare opponent to play if you are not feeling confident! Ofner has a more balanced game than Tirante; his backhand is quite solid, and he also has a better net game. I don't hate this matchup for him; he has a weakness that he can target (backhand corner), and he also can finish rallies with his own power/serve/net game. Tirante is dangerous when he gets to dictate and also load up that massive forehand on return, but that's mainly against weaker servers...