Same price?

Michelsen destroyed Struff this year when they met in Madrid, with a score of 6-2, 6-1. The American is full of confidence as well. So normally, the win should go to him, right?

Michelsen is clearly the favorite, there's no doubt about it. The American is in great form right now with successful Challenger tournaments and a high level of play in Washington, which even gave him a match point against Fritz that he unfortunately couldn't convert. I was quite impressed by his game because he's very strong on return, but especially in the offensive phase where he can hit down-the-line shots with very low, skimming balls. He's a player with excellent tennis and precise timing, and if you add the confidence he's built up, then yeah, right now he's playing like steel! These few days of rest will do him good before heading to Montreal, and I’m expecting a good tournament from him.

There are fewer guarantees on Struff’s side, since the German hasn’t played much in recent weeks after his big run at Wimbledon, and the engine seems hard to get going again. He was really mediocre in Kitzbühel for his return and now has to deal with this surface transition. He actually has a negative record on outdoor hard courts; he prefers grass or a high bounce at altitude. This suits him less here, even if he can still do damage with his attacking style. The problem is that in Madrid, a tournament where he always plays super well, he got thrashed by Michelsen, and I watched that match. He served very poorly to begin with, but above all, the American’s game gives him trouble because he can play faster and more aggressive than him as well. As I said, Michelsen has great timing and handles this surface perfectly.

The conditions are fast this week though; I would have preferred them to be slower so that Michelsen could really be in an armchair to impose his game. I saw quite a few qualifying matches that were dictated by the servers, and we know the quality of Struff’s serve. It’s not an easy match for Michelsen either, but yes, he’s still clearly a level above on paper and he’s already kicked off his US swing nicely.