Can Mochizuki do it once again?

He had an incredible run at Wimbledon... can he do something similar here as a Lucky Loser?

Well, personally, I don't have a lot of faith that he will. He hasn't really accomplished that much since his big run at Wimbledon, and while he is perfectly capable on hardcourt, his all-court game really shines on grass. I saw his last match in qualifying, a loss to Passaro in straight sets. What I saw from him in that match was a lot of errors and not nearly enough winners to make up for it, the opposite of what happened at Wimbledon! I still would describe him as a guy with a decently high ceiling but low floor, but it takes a lot for him to beat top players on a non-grass surface (remember Tokyo 2023?).

While Mensik has a habit of getting himself into a bit of trouble in the early rounds, this is still a very nice draw for him. Mochizuki's serve is very weak, in complete contrast to his own. Having said that, there is still a feeling that Mensik is not at his best... I don't want to say his losses to Nakashima and Shelton were bad, but some of his wins have looked a bit... too tough. Actually, it's been the first rounds against Fearnley in Montreal and then Bellucci in Cincinnati. In a way, Mochizuki's playstyle could be a good thing against Mensik, since he is very unorthodox, and that's a good way to play against Mensik, who really thrives on rhythm and consistent pace. Now, the Japanese would still really need to up his level to have a shot here...