Ok Arthur, let’s talk seriously…

Two meetings between the two men, two three-set matches, and one win each, with a 6–1 handed out by Rinderknech in each match.

Arthur is raising his level in Montreal after a pretty mediocre season. But the North American swing could well change a couple of things, especially with his seeded status.

On the other side, Nakashima really struggled against Droguet. The Frenchman played a hell of a match and, I think, tired Brandon out a bit, who’s already coming off 4 matches in Washington.

Titouan Droguet showed us that if you really put Nakashima under pressure, you push him out of his comfort zone as a solid server / well-oiled baseliner. You have to go straight for the throat right from the return. I’m saying this because Arthur Rinderknech knows how to do that when he brings out a big match. He did it against Rublev in a Grand Slam, for example. And I don’t know how biased I am as a Frenchman, but seeing him win these early rounds in a North American Masters 1000 makes me project him onto a rising, even transcendent, level. Because yes, let’s be honest, Arthur is good, very good even, but in small spurts, here and there. He needs to put together another run of wins, and the North American hard courts are perfect for him.

All the more so because his inspired game could really “chop up” the rhythm of the match, and Brandon’s tennis at the same time. The American is almost at home here and had a wonderful tournament in Washington. It’s often physically that I worry a bit about him. But even if he’s still ready for a big battle, I have my own little betting idea...