Systematically underrated

Kopriva is most of the time the underdog in all his matches. Yet he plays at a high level, and his opponent today hasn’t done much this year compared to the Czech.

So yes, on the main tour, Galarneau doesn’t have huge achievements this season compared to Kopriva, but that doesn’t mean the Canadian is bad, far from it. He’s getting great results on the Challenger tour and has already racked up 32 wins this year. I’ve seen him play some very good matches on grass quite recently and it seems he’s managed to follow that up with, once again, two or three good Challengers lately. A small concern regarding his physical condition, since he apparently takes a bunch of MTOs and has just pulled out of a Challenger with a right forearm injury, from what I know.

That withdrawal was about ten days ago, which should give him enough time to recover. Maybe it was simply out of caution too, knowing he was going to get his usual wildcard here. We’ll get our answer in the first round.

So Kopriva is up against a fairly in-form player; the Czech isn’t going through a great spell at the moment, with few wins and matches that are much less convincing than usual. I also want to see him on hard courts, because his serve is very shaky and leaves him quite exposed. Granted, Galarneau is not THE most aggressive player on tour, but there shouldn’t, in theory, be a lot of free points for Kopriva.

Two players who are mobile, hard-working, and mentally strong: it promises to be a good match. Galarneau is more comfortable than his opponent on this surface and he’s also playing at home. True, his results are better in Toronto, but this year it’s a bit faster in Montreal, which could suit him. I like his profile and I’d say that yes, at the moment he is better than Kopriva.