This time, it's the right one!

Fourth meeting this season, and I hope that for once they'll both play their best tennis at the same time, because the previous matches have been disappointing.

It really seems like it’s heavily dependent on the conditions. When they played in Doha, it was pretty slow, at night, and with quite a bit of wind. Pretty much everything you don’t want for Lehecka, who put in a pretty shameful performance. Then they played in Miami, which suits the Czech perfectly, and he completely rolled over Arthur. The third and most recent meeting was in Madrid, where Arthur played a great match, but the conditions were massively in his favor. It was fast, but most of all it was on clay, with a high bounce, which doesn’t really suit Lehecka’s game. This week, I’d say the conditions clearly lean towards the Czech, who can really impose his power and flat hitting on fast courts where the bounce isn’t very high.

I liked the Czech’s performance in his first round, because you really had to get through Berrettini in these conditions. Lehecka put in a good performance, with a pretty good attitude as well. This is exactly the kind of conditions and tournament where he can go deep with his game if everything clicks. But once again, he’s going to have to play his best tennis tomorrow, because he still doesn’t have an easy draw.

It’s Fils waiting for him, and the Frenchman needed a set before he really got going. But yeah, you can feel that the conditions might be a bit too fast for him, and that the bounce isn’t really in his favor either. I have to admit he still doesn’t give me a great impression, despite stringing together several matches already. I don’t know, I feel like there’s something off. He doesn’t seem to be feeling the ball well or playing with confidence. Sure, the potential is absolutely huge, but you also have to be clear-sighted about his current level, which I don’t find particularly high right now. An upswing is expected, because he too, if he wants to get through this round, will have to play his best tennis.