VDZ even faster

The Dutchman won 6-1, 6-0 in the round of 16, while Bonzi won 6-1, 6-1.

It was pretty much the same kind of match on both sides, with a Hijikata exhausted from his long match yesterday and erratic, who can be compared to a Darderi also hampered by a knee injury and with no desire to fight today. That led to two lightning-fast scorelines and matches that don’t really mean much, given how weak the opposition was for our two players here. It’s tricky, because for this quarterfinal they almost have to restart the whole dynamic, without really having played today.

If we look at the last few weeks, it’s clear that VDZ is in better form and simply the better player of the two, with a few solid results already and a final in this tournament. He has repeated that he loves the conditions and feels good. We’re getting the best version of the Dutchman, and when he plays at this level and seems this focused, he often goes very far. I rate him well above Bonzi, even though the Frenchman is having a very good week with strong focus and a level of play that’s enjoyable to watch, especially with a down-the-line backhand that’s been on fire this week.

Normally, we should see Bonzi in a slightly more offensive role, but he’s quite comfortable in that area and can also come forward to finish at the net. He has a rather flattering record against good counterpunchers, with some notable wins over Musetti and Medvedev, for example. I do think this isn’t a terrible match-up for him when he’s feeling good about his tennis, and that seems to be the case here. That said, there’s also the question of overall level, and on that point I put VDZ well ahead, because he’s playing very solidly at the moment. It’s still a bit hard for me to assess the Dutchman, but in the end, he’s given us two swift wins against players who either didn’t feel like being out there or had no answers at all, which normally isn’t as true for Bonzi. I have a bit more faith in the Frenchman’s game to at least go and grab a set to start with.