Blockx on the rise

Watch out for the Belgian!

Alexander had a very nice opening round against Barrios Vera, and he was highly efficient in a solid straight-sets win. He is currently ranked No. 34, but I think his ceiling is a lot higher. Yes, I like him quite a lot... he is a player with many good attributes. First of all, the Big Server / Solid Baseliner playstyle, with a forehand that is both solid and devastating (which sets him apart from other players with a similar playstyle, like Hurkacz and Zverev). He can play the big points well and also come to the net. His backhand still needs to improve a bit, especially offensively, but there are a lot of things to like, indeed. After a wonderful run to the semifinal in Madrid, he had a bit of a dip, which is totally understandable, especially as a young player. He was unlucky to run into Lehecka straight away in Montreal, having received a walkover against Munar in the first round. After that, a very tactically well-played match against Navone, followed by serving for the match against Cobolli, which he sadly lost. As I said, dominant scoreline against Barrios Vera, but quite truthfully, the South American does not really have any advantages in that matchup - nonetheless, nicely handled.

Well, he is about to face someone who is turning into a bit of a legend, Trungelliti. First of all, let's just admit the 400 IQ play of investing in the "American" shirt while playing in the US- way to get the crowd on your side, buddy! However, it is no longer needed, as there are plenty of Argentines to support him here in New York. We saw a bit of a typical Trungelliti match against Shang... taking an absolute beating, then turning it around, struggling to serve out a set, losing another lopsided set, and then grinding out the win. We have to give him a lot of credit; what a season he is having, especially at his age! Now, a tough matchup awaits. Blockx has a huge serve advantage and is also solid/clever from the baseline, so it's going to be harder to coax him into errors than it was against Shang. However, I want to say that this matchup is also harder from Blockx's perspective... Marco is a lot trickier than the rather straightforward Barrios Vera. Is there any chance he can make this competitive, or will the Belgian enjoy another straightforward victory?