The new Italian generation!

There are already so many good Italians on the tour, and Cina is starting to make a name for himself…

Young Cina has just come out of the qualifiers after beating Nardi, then Dellien, then the Chinese player Bu, with two wins in three sets. It wasn’t easy for him and he has already had to give a lot, but he deserves to make it through qualifying. He’s quite a talented player who will, for sure, play well in the coming years, and I see him as a good hard-court player. He serves pretty well, he’s solid from the baseline, and he attacks intelligently. His game is very clean with excellent timing. I definitely prefer him on a fast surface rather than on clay, but that’s just my opinion. He had already come through qualifying at Roland-Garros and had beaten Opelka before losing heavily to De Jong, as he was physically exhausted; that’s still his limitation. He can play well, but he lacks physical endurance and still can’t find consistency in his results. His year has been a bit better lately, but nothing exceptional, and I still see plenty of losses to players who look quite weak on paper. I think he has the talent and power to perform well in certain tournaments, and this one could be one of them.

It’s a good draw for Michelsen, who has taken a break since his last tournament, and rightly so, as he had given a lot over the past few weeks. The American is in good form; he’ll now be fresh physically and mentally, and he has experience. He’s a player who is becoming more and more mature and who can play some great tennis. I think the conditions here are favorable for his game because he’s someone who doesn’t put much spin on his shots. His relatively flat backhand is going to do damage, but Cina also has a game that can adapt well to this surface. The gap in potential level is quite big, but it’s a first-round match at home for Michelsen. He needs to get his tournament going, and that’s never easy against a player who already has three wins under his belt.