As we glance at the card for the Round of 64 at the Shanghai Masters, we can't help but steer our attention towards the matchup between Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and Tomas Machac, a battle that promises fireworks, or perhaps a few damp squibs if recent form is taken into consideration.
Alejandro seems to be in a bit of a quagmire, having lost 3 of his last 5 matches. While he did manage to outplay Diallo and Zhang, the fact he went down in straight sets against Rublev and Tiafoe sketches, in my mind, the picture of a blotchy performance graph. Certainly adds an edge of unpredictability to the mix.
Flipping over to Tomas Machac, it turns out he doesn't have the most pristine of records either. With 3 victories out of his last 5 encounters, including wins against Michelsen, Paul and Popyrin, he too seems to be flirting with turbulence. A little inconsistency never hurt anyone, right? Or maybe it did. Anyway.
But let's not forget our good friend the tournament seed. Machac finds himself snug at number 30, while Alejandro wears the shroud of the unseeded, the underdog, the wildcard.
So basically, it's like trying to pick the hot dog with the least mustard—sort of messy no matter how you look at it. But, this is sports, people. In sports, we don't get neat and tidy, we get sweat and tears and unexpected left turns.
Taking it all into account, we can quench the suspense and give you the prediction.
Albert’s Prediction: Machac in 3 sets.