The great opportunity for Lajal!

The Estonian is grinding down the challengers and trying to get as close as possible to the top 100, and this tournament in particular could help him.

Wins in qualifying over Svrcina, then over Vukic, two players who have been relatively in form this season and quite hard to beat, with completely different profiles. I only saw Lajal’s second-round match, where he played a solid match from the baseline and, above all, ground Vukic down physically, who was completely done by the end. The Estonian finished with 21 aces and 85% of points won behind his first serve. That’s a weapon he’ll have to use again tomorrow, even if it’s usually a shot that earns him far fewer free points. Above all, he’s a player who is strong from the baseline on both sides, plays with good pace and rhythm, and sometimes takes a bit too many risks. But that’s also part of his charm. I really liked his attitude, because he could have gotten frustrated after losing the first set to Vukic, but he managed to reset well. You could almost already say he’s had a successful tournament, and I expect him to be very relaxed tomorrow. He’s someone to be wary of, especially since he’s in good form, with quite a few wins recently on the Challenger tour.

He’ll still be the underdog, because Cerundolo has stepped up a level this season, even on faster courts, and remains the favorite in this matchup. The Argentinian got through another round last week by beating Medjedovic before being blown away by Ruud, who played an absolutely perfect match. I can’t even blame Cerundolo, who just got hit from all sides and simply had no answers. I’m still really impressed by the Argentinian’s progress this season. For me, he’s a tough player to beat anywhere, like a bunch of Argentinians right now who are making you pay a high price to beat them. Naturally, with the hot and humid conditions, he also has something to work with, especially since Lajal is coming off two relatively long and demanding qualifying matches. Physically, if one of them is going to crack, it’s the Estonian. And I think Cerundolo will be aware of that too.

I particularly like Cerundolo’s profile because he brings quite a bit of variety into his game and has improved in terms of aggression and on serve.

Where Vukic was basically just serving and leaning on his forehand without really being dangerous otherwise, the Argentinian has more options: loopier balls, a lefty touch that can drag Lajal very far out wide, or even an occasionally interesting backhand slice. In short, JM Cerundolo has what it takes to wear down and blow up Lajal, whom I would have preferred to see against a more aggressive and erratic profile like himself, where he might have had a real chance.