Choinski, welcome to America!

We normally don't see him in an ATP main draw without qualifying, do we?

Ever since the run to the quarterfinals in Eastbourne, it has been quite good for Jan. Well, we have barely noticed him on the main tour, but he managed to win two Challengers on clay, both in Germany. It should be said that he was a rather large favorite in most matches, but I don't mind the scheduling choice at all, a great way to build some points to get into more main tour draws! As I've mentioned in my Michelsen - De Jong preview, we need to be a bit wary of players coming across the Atlantic to start their hardcourt season - it takes a while to get used to conditions and specifically the tennis balls being used here.

While Tirante really struggled in his first match back on hardcourt, he played some huge matches against Fritz and Popyrin, where he was "unplayable". In hindsight, I also want to take it with a grain of salt, since Fritz basically said he should have retired after the first set... but yes, Tirante was good; his peak is very high when he is just blasting the ball and in a good mood. As is usually the case, he struggled a lot more in his loss against Tien, someone who is able to extend rallies and force errors! Now, I think Montreal conditions were quite decent for Tirante... when he can serve big and have a high bounce for his forehand. He tends to play really well in altitude, where you tend to have the high bounce and big serve due to the ball flying, quite similar to how players describe the tennis ball that is used in Montreal. A combination of the ability to control his serve (when the ball "flies) and the high bounce, I think. Now, it will be the same ball in Cincinnati, but we have a faster court with a lower bounce, which should suit the Argentinian a bit less! Both players should be familiar with each other, since they've already faced each other three times on clay, even if it was a few years back.