Tennis Prediction Nuno Faria vs Walton: Cincinnati

Cincinnati 🇺🇸

• Two qualifiers in the round of 16 of a Masters, same number of wins this week: 4 all. Except you have to read the menus.

• Walton's: Mejia, Buse, players outside the top 100. Faria's: Basilashvili, Wu, Brooksby, and last night Ben Shelton, the man who had just beaten Tiafoe, Nakashima, Mensik and Bergs. 6-4 6-4, without trembling, without a set lost this week.

• The seasons tell the same gap. On the main tour in 2022: 26 wins for 11 losses on Faria's side, 15 for 17 on Walton's.

• The Australian is an excellent Challenger player visiting the tour; the 23-year-old Portuguese is settling in, with scalps like Van de Zandschulp this summer.

• No freshness advantage to look for, the two have the same mileage this week. The match will be decided on raw level, and the raw level has an owner.

• The real danger, I name it because we've seen it twice this fortnight: the comedown. Faria is coming off the match of his life. Tirante after his scalp of Fritz, Vallejo after Vacherot: the day after exploits have mowed down nice stories here.

• If the Portuguese wakes up again in his match from yesterday, Walton is exactly the kind of diligent player who takes advantage of it.

• But between a player who beats a top 10 without losing a set and a player who hasn't faced a top 50 this week, the hierarchy of the evening is clear. I'm taking Faria, and I'm watching his start.«

⭐️ 6 other spots with written analysis are available in the PREMIUM PASS!