The Real Final?

Both players are so good in Båstad, it's a bit of a shame they are facing each other this early...

Well, we do actually, in fact, have the 2024 Champion against the 2025 Champion. Borges has been wasting no time, winning both his matches 6-4, 6-2 against Kouame and then Dimitrov. In both his matches, he has been close to flawless, but it should also be pointed out that both his opponents have been very erratic! Koaume was unable to find solutions and started spraying errors in the second set (also not having played a lot of matches lately)... and Dimitrov had 0% left in the tank from his long battle against Svrcina. Nonetheless, we have a good Nuno who has been on a good streak for a while now. Now, this is an important stretch of the year for Darderi; he won the title in Båstad and Umag last year, so that's a lot of points. It has been a bit more difficult for him lately, mainly due to surgery; he has needed to play himself back into form and fitness. I like that he went on to play three Bundesliga matches after an early Wimbledon exit. I really liked his first match against Altmaier; it was of rather good quality against a somewhat in-form opponent. At the end of the match, he did a kind of crazy/intense celebration as well (despite winning 6-4, 6-4), so this really means a lot to him.

Both players are obviously very comfortable in the conditions... but I would say that they benefit Darderi slightly more. Borges is more well-rounded (backhand, net game); however, Darderi has the biggest weapon on the court with his forehand! Borges did beat him in Mallorca recently, but Darderi was not really in shape then, and the conditions there suit him less! Darderi's peak level is higher than Borges', but there are still a few questions about his ability to maintain a high level if the match really drags on. Both players are absolute warriors as well, hopefully we get to see a really nice battle...