THE Quarter not to miss!

Surely the most exciting match of the week, especially when you see that all (or almost all) of the favorites are already out.

This is a matchup we’re going to see many times in the coming years, given all the potential and the level of these two players. It’s already the third time they’ve faced each other this year, and for now it’s balanced with one win each, even though I’d like to put some context back on their last match, because it’s the most recent and also the one that was a bit skewed in my opinion. During that match, Fils picked up a slight hip injury, which worried me a lot. His start was fairly decent, but as the match went on, he got dominated by Jodar in every area. That really wasn’t the case in their first encounter, where the Frenchman had good control in the exchanges almost the whole time.

We’re still looking for what could really trouble Jodar, because week after week we see him beating different types of players with impressive ease. This week is the perfect example. He beat two players like Moutet and Musetti, who play almost exclusively with variation and defense, but he also easily beat Lehecka in the previous round, a player who on paper was much more aggressive and powerful. That didn’t cause any problems for Jodar, who adapted.

For me, we can already rule out the physical aspect that many people have tried to highlight regarding the Spaniard. This 10-day Masters 1000 format allows for enough recovery with a fair amount of rest days in total. I think Jodar will once again be ready tomorrow to battle hard and for a long time if needed. Now, when it comes to the tennis itself, I’m a bit more torn, because in their last two meetings I still saw some arguments in Fils’ favor and the beginnings of an answer to what might trouble Jodar. You need good defensive quality to manage to contain his power, but you also have to know how to counter him and strike at the right moment. That’s kind of Arthur’s strength: he can do a bit of everything, and I really like seeing him in “counterpunching” mode. Jodar will dictate play in his own way without overforcing, but that’s enough for Arthur to simply lean on his ball and redirect it properly.

The Frenchman was also just coming back in Washington and wasn’t at his best physically like he is this week. He loves the conditions here and he gets a lot of support from the French-speaking crowd. From what he says in interviews, I see a guy who’s having fun and building momentum. His matches are really high level, and that’s exactly what he’ll need tomorrow to beat Jodar.