Rematch!

Barely out of their meeting in Washington and here the two buddies are, ready to go at it again.

Their match ended in a three-set win for the Spaniard, who took full advantage of a Musetti who was a bit short physically, as well as his one-handed backhand, which was a little less able to neutralize the Spaniard’s power.

What’s changed since then?

Musetti has been able to rest and prepare for Montreal, while Jodar has played two extra matches. Plus, we’ve got a match in Montreal to see how they’ve adapted. I thought Musetti was decent, even if a bit hesitant against the fighter Mejia. But once he had the first set in the bag, he was able to let his shots go a bit more. A nice win in my opinion. The Italian has been rather lucky with the draw, which I think is the best preparation for the big matches.

On Jodar’s side, we saw a first set where he was a bit off physically against Moutet, before refocusing and regaining a clear edge. I thought he might crack physically, but the match-up was just too complicated for Moutet.

Here, I think Musetti is the perfect trap for a tired Jodar. The Washington match-up could flip into a scenario where Musetti is just too good in defense, makes Jodar work hard, and attacks when needed with his forehand. I’m happy to say that Jodar is a monster, but here, if he comes through again on the not-too-fast courts of Montreal against one of the best defenders on tour, I’ll be telling myself this guy is doped!