Short and Simple

Can Carabelli put up a bit of a fight?

We know Borges so well by now, don't we? He can struggle as a big favorite in the early rounds, having to dig deep and manage a "comeback win". I will say that he's gotten a bit better at this; we saw quite a few "clean" matches from him in the last few months. His serve and flat backhand will work quite nicely on this fast court, even though I think he is at his best on a slightly slower court, where he is less likely to get overpowered. Yeah, we know that he hates facing aggressive players who overpower him. Having said that, quite great for him that he is facing Ugo Carabelli - not exactly the player you imagine in your head when you think of someone who plays attacking tennis. Don't get me wrong, he can deliver some big hits with his forehand... but he is more of a grinder in the end ;)

Carabelli's had a pretty rough year, and he also seems to be playing most of his tournaments with some kind of injury. Similar to a lot of other South Americans, he doesn't really like the end of the season with fast courts in Asia and then indoor hardcourts in Europe... they would rather go home and wait for the next season 😂

Well, let's mention the big thing... Borges played a Davis Cup match in El Salvador on 19 September, which is obviously very far away. He absolutely breezed through his match, but it's going to be a big adjustment, even if he has quite a good opening round.