Them again!

Two players who have been frequently underestimated this season, but who play great tennis when they’re in the zone.

I remember their match in Mallorca well a few weeks ago on grass. Kopriva largely dominated the proceedings and won 7-5, 6-1, but the score in the first set could have been much harsher, because the Czech was up 5-1 before letting Buse come back. It’s a match-up the Czech generally likes because he controls the game and can dictate play. He struggles more against powerful players who can rush him and attack him early in the rally, which really isn’t the case with Buse, who is more of a grinder.

The Peruvian has just experienced a real disappointment at this tournament while defending quite a few points. He lost in the first round to Tsitsipas and, even though the Greek went on to win the tournament, I really didn’t like that defeat because the level of his performance was really poor. As I mentioned, I suspect a dip in form from the Peruvian at the moment; he seems a bit more sluggish and may be paying the price, physically or mentally, for all his efforts in the first part of the season. He’s going to have to give it a little push again, but once more he really left me with a very average impression.

On Kopriva’s side, it’s not great form either. He lost at Wimbledon fairly comprehensively in the first round and had a minor hip issue. He just got blown away in Umag by Prismic. The reassuring thing is that he didn’t have any physical problems. And even if the score was very one-sided, it’s not a defeat that scares me too much, because when Prismic is in the zone and you don’t have the game to hurt him—which was the case for Kopriva on clay that was too slow against an opponent who defended too well and stopped him attacking much—he just rolls. I can understand that his form doesn’t inspire a lot of confidence, but for me, in terms of momentum, it’s almost 50-50 between him and Buse.