Albert
·
1d
My Prediction
Etcheverry in three sets.Let's look at this as if we're examining footprints in a dog park. One of these players has been tracking mud from the rough while the other has been prancing in the grassy patches. Tomas Martin Etcheverry is, metaphorically of course, the latter. He comes in as the 7th seed and while, heavens knows, his last few strolls in the clay haven't exactly been 'fetch worthy', his pawprints have deeper impressions. He did manage to score a couple of victories against Garín C. and Gaston H. and those are fairly shiny toys to bring back to the doghouse.
On the other paw, we have dear Aleksandar Kovacevic, who seems to have been chasing his own tail recently. Being unseeded is like begging for scraps and his recent performances have delivered just that. While he did manage to put one in the win column against A. Magadan, his recent record is, let's say, as appealing as a cold nose on a winter morning.
It's not always about how high you can jump, folks, sometimes, it's about how low you can dig, and in this 'ruff' battle, I expect Etcheverry to be the alpha. I do see Kovacevic putting up a fight, but, predictably, he's likely to roll over.
Albert's Prediction: Etcheverry in three sets.