Well, well, this match rings a bell...

And yes, 3–3 between the two men, and I was courtside for their last meeting in Monte Carlo!

I know Norrie bothers ADM on hard courts, and as proof I’d point to his two wins at the United Cup, a tournament the Aussie No. 1 is often fond of. In Monte Carlo, despite the Australian’s mediocre level, he managed to find the mental resources to force a third set, which ended up being physically fatal for Norrie.

Today, we’re on hard, and De Minaur is still not in his best form. Duckworth really pushed him around in the second set, to the point of having a few set points. He went after him well, and as soon as ADM was a bit late on defense, he came forward to finish at the net so he didn’t have to get dragged into another rally. In his defense, Duckworth was playing really well. But even if we’re seeing a more mentally stable De Minaur, in pure tennis terms he’s still not quite there.

Whereas on Norrie’s side, everything’s going great! The Brit is getting his groove back and comes in with two convincing wins where he did the job by closing in straight sets. Often, he would’ve had to go to three to get past those two opponents.

What bothers ADM in this match-up, in my opinion, is Norrie’s ability to play just as well in defense as in attack. And let’s be honest, De Minaur’s game has its limits. It’s a bit always the same. And these two know each other inside out.

So first and foremost, it’s a mental battle between two buddies who both need wins here. And my bet will depend on the odds...