Oh, what a delightful day to chatter about a little tennis drama. We've got the young Italian stallion, Flavio Cobolli, ranked 28th and serving up some spicy meatball shots against the unseeded baguette-loving veteran, Stan Wawarinka, from Switzerland. The stage is set in Shanghai – exotic enough for you?
Now, let's try to decipher their recent performances. Wawrinka, God love him, has been celebrating the joy of inconsistency by alternating between glorious wins and crushing defeats over the past few months. In fact, the big Swiss has probably visited ground zero – or rather, ground love – more times than he'd care to remember. However, his impressive win against Mpetshi Perricard does show he's still got a bit of firepower in him.
On the other side of the net, we have Cobolli — slick as olive oil and showing why he's the broad-shouldered favorite. His recent loss against Medvedev was a bit of a disappointment, but let's not forget, Medvedev ain't exactly a picnic to play against. But look at the brighter spots – he pelted wins against Bublik and Bergs, and proved to be quite the 'Davide' by defeating Goliath-like Kotov.
Feasting your eyes on their track history, it’s not exactly brain surgery to decipher who might hold the upper hand. Cobolli, being seeded and as feisty as a plate of spaghetti aglio e olio, appears the more likely to triumph — provided he doesn't let Wawrinka's game, rare as it may be, throw him off.
So, under the bright Shanghai lights, it might just be the Italian's game to lose, with, oh dare I predict, maybe a little speed bump from Wawrinka to remind us of his prowess. After all, it is tennis and the game isn't over till the fat umpire calls "Game, set and match."
Albert's Prediction: Cobolli in 3 sets.