Two starving people

The same fighting spirit for both players, that’s for sure, yes. And so two players who logically come in from the clay-court tournaments.

They also have the same profile: aggressive baseliners. They put a lot of intensity into their game.

For me, the Spaniard has a more stable level on average, which gives him a real advantage and justifies his status as the favorite. And so, as is often the case with Valentin, if there’s any value somewhere, I think it’s in an over on games. Because when he raises his level of play, he often takes the upper hand. It’s not at all uncommon to see him break back, go up a break, or win a set against players who are stronger than him on paper. And since we’ve got a battle between guys who are a bit lacking in overall power and who grind out their results through physical and mental battles, there will surely be those famous swings in momentum. And one last remark: while I sometimes expect a great PCB, I was a bit disappointed by his last match.