A rematch of the same caliber, please gentlemen!
Their match in Cincinnati was full of twists and turns, with an incredible storyline where Hijikata had finally managed to prevail before going on to have a huge tournament afterward to confirm it.
It’s a pattern that shows up quite often with Hijikata. The Australian has an average overall level of play that’s fairly solid without being excellent. Two or three times a season, everything will click during a tournament and he’ll put together some monstrous matches, being complete in every area. That’s what happened at Indian Wells during their previous matchup, notably with a big physical drop-off from Darderi in the second set.
Hijikata also served very well, and his match was complete. We have to try to guess if that will be the case this week, but we saw a pretty weak first round, as has been the case for a little while now. He mainly benefited from a worn-out Monfils at the end of the match, and yet Hijikata was close to cracking too. The match wasn’t anything special. I didn’t really like Hijikata’s level, especially on the backhand side, where he shows a certain weakness.
A weakness that Darderi could exploit thanks to his power and the weight/volume of his forehand. The Italian played some slightly strange matches in Montreal, but that’s just how he is. The level of play might not be perfect, but his attitude will often save him or at least help him stay stubborn and tough until something gives, like against Nakashima. I remain wary regarding the weather conditions, because he also struggles with heat and humidity. It’s something to keep an eye on, but when I see how Hijikata faded in the first round, I put things into perspective a bit and tell myself it should be fine.
Hijikata doesn’t impress me much. I think the conditions in Indian Wells were slow enough for him to manage to beat Darderi. This time, it’s faster, and the Italian should be able to do some damage with his game, while staying solid from the baseline. I clearly see him as the favorite. Apart from that loss, he had won their two previous meetings quite comfortably, without dropping a single set.
His track record in Cincinnati is a bit strange, because he retired in both of his previous appearances. That’s not very reassuring, but it’s really the only thing that worries me here.
