Atp 250 Houston - Day 1
Darderi L. vs. Kudla D.
Darderi comes from a month on hard courts where he has failed to express his tennis, which he does very well on clay, where he also won the Cordoba tournament earlier this season. His trademark is a kick serve and aggression with a subsequent deep shot, along with classic trajectories and variations typical of Argentine players. Kudla, on the other hand, has shown promising performances on this surface in the recent challenger event in Paraguay, but his advancing age and the opponent's greater aptitude and variety of play today could pose difficulties for him.
Galan D. E. vs. Paire B.
Here we find two very similar players who could trouble each other, except that much in this match will depend on Paire's mental toughness, which is practically nonexistent. Additionally, this will be Paire's first match on this surface this year unlike his opponent who has played on it for the entire first part of the season with good results. If Paire manages to play calmly and show some good form in the early games, there could be a closely contested set; otherwise, I believe the match could slide easily towards the Colombian player. Also, pay attention to the Frenchman's physical condition, as he has been experiencing some issues with advancing age.
Mmoh M. vs. Varillas J.P.
Mmoh has not played on clay since last year's Roland Garros where he exited in the first round. The American player heavily relies on his opponent's shots with very few variations, and his game style on this surface has rarely posed a threat to anyone. Varillas, on the other hand, is very proficient on clay and comes from a final in the recently concluded Brazilian challenger event, aiming for a good performance in Houston. Like all South Americans, he has trajectories and variations that are very dangerous on these surfaces, combined with excellent service rotation and aggression in response.
Brower G. vs. Durkworth J.
Brower comes from the qualifiers and therefore knows the conditions of the court better than his opponent and especially the effectiveness of his shots on it. Both are not specialists on this surface, so knowledge of the surface could make a difference. To worsen Durkworth's condition even further, he hasn't practiced on this surface for a year. Both players are prone to errors, so this match could go to a third set, perhaps with Brower winning.
Kokkinakis T. vs. Kovacevic A.
Neither has played on hard courts this year, but while Kokkinakis obtained some good results last year, Kovacevic has never been impactful on these courts. The only doubt regarding Kokkinakis is related to his unstable physical condition, which has already forced him to retire three times this season. If he is fit, I don't foresee many issues, but I'll leave room for doubt, considering the significant home advantage factor.