Little left-hander duel

Not really the same style of play for these two left-handers, who could cancel each other out before one of them logically ends up taking a definitive advantage.

No matches for Tien since his loss at Wimbledon. The American will need to find his rhythm again, but that’s not usually something that bothers him when he comes back after a short break. He reached the third round last year in this tournament, notably beating Rublev. I think the playing conditions are ideal for him. The bounce is relatively high, it takes spin well for his forehand, and the court is quick enough for him to set up his attacking counterpunching game, which works well. In my opinion, Tien will be hard to beat this week. He still has a few small physical issues, like in his last match against Fucsovics, and the conditions this week aren’t easy to handle. For me, that’s the main thing to keep an eye on with him. Otherwise, in terms of tennis, I imagine him being very strong.

On Mannarino’s side, there’s not much to sink our teeth into. When I take a step back and look at his grass-court season, there are no huge results, but his losses are pretty logical each time. Except for the one in Newport, quite recent, where he took an MTO for a neck problem, apparently. But I didn’t see that with my own eyes. In any case, the Frenchman is never good in Washington. I’m not really surprised. The bounce is a bit too high, and I also think it’s too fast for him to properly implement his very particular game. It’s not the kind of tournament where I picture him pulling off something big, but you never know with the Divine Bald One.

Tien is the logical favorite in this match. He also has an excellent record against left-handers and is playing at home. I don’t really believe in a surprise from Mannarino, but I doubt we’ll manage to get a good price on Tien.