Embarrassed or not embarrassed?

I’m part of the team that thinks Blockx was bothered by his rib injury, and that he might still be today. I get Marcos, who thinks it didn’t bother him because indeed, the Belgian kept running like a rabbit to defend against Fran Cerundolo’s forehand hammering. I personally think he was really hampered in sets 2 and 3, and that it actually allowed him to play more relaxed, and to wind up an already tightly wound Cerundolo even more at the start of this match. And then gradually, either the injury wasn’t that serious, or once warmed up the pain eases off. But ribs are a real pain in the ass!

Anyway, if he’s okay, we could get a high‑tension match given how huge the opportunity is for both players. Even if Khacha has a lot more experience, it’s been a long time now that he’s been putting up crap results and a Grand Slam semi could really save his season! I also know Khacha is “driven” by money. And here, the winner will go from $780,000 to $1,450,000 all the same.

The Russian got past a Tien who was a bit too roasted, playing aggressive tennis with tight trajectories from his baseline, against a Tien who was too often hiding in the back fence. He’s got less power than Cerundolo F., but he’ll probably commit fewer unforced errors. Against a fit Blockx, I’d tend to say the Russian should be the underdog because his game is less rich. But the match‑up could turn out to be annoying for the Belgian, who might have to be the one creating the play against the Khachanov wall. But honestly, I don’t buy it. Give me the same matchup on hard court in a best‑of‑3 format and in the early rounds, and I’d call Blockx value every day at that price. Here, I think the books and the market are putting weight on the Belgian’s potential injury and on the Russian’s experience at this stage of a huge competition like the US Open. And it’s true that yesterday, against Tien, the Russian showed pretty good composure, in my opinion.