Tien vs France, part 2

Learner had no luck against Mannarino; will things change this time?

First of all, Tien has really skyrocketed in the ATP rankings in a short time. A lot of that has to do with the fact that he is ultra-consistent, strong mentally, and has outstanding tennis IQ - he is hard to beat for a lot of players. However, since that match against Fucsovics at Wimbledon that affected him physically, we have just seen a single match against Mannarino in the first round in Washington. He really struggled in this match, having no answers tactically, for once! I do wonder if Tien will need some time to build his game back; he didn't really get to play a lot during the grass swing either! Also, it has just been a lot of matches for him on tour during the last 12 months... keep in mind that his schedule in the Asian hardcourt Swing + European Indoor swing was quite packed last year (combined with Next Gen Finals).

Monfils is entering the absolute final stretch of his tennis career, and what a way to start against Majchrzak! Obviously, he is playing with absolutely nothing to lose... this also allows Monfils a lot more freedom to actually play some great attacking shots, which he has always had in his arsenal! I do think that facing players that are not overly aggressive is best for him right now... in a way, it's like what we saw from Nishikori; they need to be the ones who get to dictate the points instead of running around and defending. While there will be question marks about how he holds up in a longer match in night conditions, at least he was able to finish the match against Majchrzak in straight sets and under two hours! Tien looks really vulnerable at the moment, but we have to be wary about Monfil's ability to maintain his level if this match drags on...