Two left-handers who are so different

Two completely different profiles for these players, who will try to impose their own style!

Damm is a good server, powerful and ultra-aggressive, he’s a big hitter who needs rallies to be short and intense. His game is super risky, which can pay off in good weeks but can also stop him from having that famous consistency needed to compete at the very top level. He can beat a bunch of players on a good day but lose to much weaker players on a bad day. He’s not in great form at the moment but it’s not dramatic either, I liked his level in Washington and then after that he lost to Tsitsipas and Sakellaridis (who’s in good form). We can expect more from him but that goes hand in hand with his style of play. I think this week the fast conditions in Winston-Salem could make him a real trap to face if he gains confidence.

In his first round he’ll face the qualifier Shelbayh, who is actually starting to find a bit of consistency; he’s coming through qualifying more and more often and seems to be taking a small step up by his own standards. He’s a lefty too, but much more defensive/hardworking, he puts a lot of balls in play and can make points last. He’s got a big strong temperament and is coming out of qualies by beating average players though, so I’m not sure he’s in such great form given that the qualifying level was pretty low.

They played in qualifying in Washington and Damm won 7–6 in the third set in a match that seemed pretty tight in terms of chances on both sides. The conditions are quite similar and unless Damm is on fire I think he’s going to struggle to win easily...