Marc-Andrea Huesler vs Jack Draper, a Duel of talents at Winston-Salem

When I saw the approach to the quarterfinal match at the ATP-250 tournament in Winston-Salem, I imagined that it would be all for the Swiss Marc-Andrea Huesler, given the difficulty of having in front of him, the young British powerhouse Jack Draper. I think that first impression was due to Jack's (20 years old) results against the experienced Fabio Fognini in 3 sets; and then the Sutton born player overwhelmed the Austrian Dominic Thiem by 2-0.

But perhaps I underestimated the better run that the Helvetian has done, who since the qualifying round has done his job with determination and without showing cracks. I must also keep in mind that right now Jack, has better ranking and performance than Fabio and with all due respect, the Italian is doing better on clay than on fast courts. The same goes for Ilia Ivashka, who looked inspired to defend his title last year; that is, Marc has faced more quantity and quality so far.

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But the best thing that could have happened was that many of the best tennis players of the moment have decided to save their energies for the US Open that starts in a few days; this has led to a more balanced draw among the new contenders. So much so, that today the semifinalists point to an unprecedented champion in the campus of North Carolina; then what seemed to be a disadvantage, has become the best strength for the tournament. How ironic!

As I said yesterday in my sports publication, I preferred to forget favoritism and enjoy a new, promising and unprecedented tennis. It would be the strength and speed of Jack's forehand, against the wisdom, calm and boldness of Marc-Andrea. That's why last night's result was a pleasant surprise, when I saw the Swiss solve with total tranquility, the questionnaire posed by the English racket, I said to myself "here is an interesting match". It is not easy to handle the devastating way with which Draper started.

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And although it was remarkable the good tactical approach of the Briton (using topspin shots to the back of the court) and receiving with changes of direction; it would be the Swiss who hit the first shot, with an unexpected break in the 7th game. But the joy did not last long, because Jack recovered the break in the 8th game and kept changing the rhythm; although the difference was still imposed by Marc, who was clinging to the fight for the leadership of the match.

In the 9th a literal battle of almost 9 minutes was fought, in which the pulse failed Draper, incurring a costly double fault; in addition to throwing out several of his shots in the search for depth. The insistence and endurance of Huesler helped in that comeback from 40-15 to the decisive break; and although the Swiss started down in the 10th game, he managed to adjust to keep the ball in play and close the first set 6-4 in 40 minutes. This set was decisive, as Draper had not been down all week.

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Then, the second heat was a pleasure for my eyes; because Jack went on the attack again, out-serving Marc (124 mph). While Huesler preferred to place his shot at (107 mph). The strength of serve would not be decisive, because the Swiss was prepared to resist that and the battle was one of strategy in variety and placement. I must say that watching the match on TV, the sound of Marc-Andrea's racquet seemed to have an anti-topspin, which reduced the ball sent by his rival. That speaks of the good pulse that the Helvetian has.

The rallies became more intense, as did Jack's combined use of topspin and flat shots (he was looking to discomfort and break), but Huesler didn't fall into the trap and held firm at mid-distance. I liked Marc's footwork to change profiles on the forehand, which he got right in inverted and parallel. For his part, Draper wanted to receive with power shots to surprise, but he threw them out, so I think he should have used the slice to lower the revolutions and be able to have control of the ball.

Marc's break in the 3rd game was a bucket of cold water, because later he would defend that advantage with all his resources. That is a word that I consider key, Marc-Andrea used his game resources better, to build brick by brick, that great victory against the No. 11 seed of the tournament. The smash to the line sealed the double 6-4 in 80 minutes of match and now the Swiss will play again a semifinal in his career. His next opponent will be the Serbian Laslo Djere, a tough player but with very flat shots for my taste.

Although Djere was able to come back against Richard Gasquet, he will have to use the best of his abilities to impose resistance to a hard-working and measured Huesler. It will be a challenge for Marc to face the Balkan for the second time, but the real challenge will be to defend his discreet serve against the leader in breaks of the tournament. This will be something that I will love to see today, especially because of the variety that Marc-Andrea has shown and that has been determinant during this magnificent week for the Swiss.