Careful, Vacherot is totally on fire!

The Monegasque says he was eager to get back on hard courts, which he considers his best surface. Something that should get him going again after a comeback from injury that’s been pretty average so far, I’d say.

I wasn’t really convinced by Vacherot’s game, but he still beat Hanfmann at altitude and took a set off Collignon. On the other hand, he lost to Halys, though the Frenchman claims he may have played his best match of the year. There are quite a few signs that the Monegasque is coming back strong, but as I said, I didn’t really like the substance of those matches. That puts a bit of a damper on things for me. Then again, it’s normal, he needs to get his rhythm back and build up steam. If he’s also saying he’s been really looking forward to this return on hard, it could make for a nice mix, but he’s got a tough draw he’ll have to be wary of.

Yes, because I once again made the mistake of not being wary enough of Navone against a good server in the first round. Yet the Argentine excels in that kind of match-up. He’s excellent at neutralizing the opponent’s serve and it was some serious serving on the other side of the net. Sure, Berrettini played an absolutely awful match, but that’s also because Navone forced him to play that way. The Argentine was extremely clinical, which usually isn’t his strong suit. In short, a win that could lead to another. At the very least, I’ll be wary of him this time, because I’d watched their match earlier this year in Miami. And Vacherot, in my opinion, got through it pretty well with a straight-sets win.

The notable difference between Vacherot and Berrettini is that the Monegasque can come forward and finish points at the net quite easily; it’s a pattern of play he likes and that works very well against someone who returns from far back and gives his opponents time. But I find it a bit too easy to just say that, because to me, Vacherot could also get frustrated and try to force things from the baseline if he doesn’t find the right opening that would allow him to come in. I really want to highlight Navone’s quality in managing to impose his own rhythm; Berrettini was completely locked down from the baseline and had no answers.