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Cuevas's first hard court match this season

Anderson has had a few bad performances lately, but his expectations from this part of the season are high. It looks like he would definitely end the season as a Top 20 player. Cuevas won two consecutive ATP titles, but he's not as good on surfaces other than clay

Pablo Cuevas was not even in the Top 250 at the start of this season. He was injured, and getting back is difficult for any player, especially for a 28-year-old. He started doing challengers, proving he belongs to ATP Top 100. Everyone expected him to get back among the best 100 players soon, but he did better than anyone could have hoped for, having won 13 consecutive matches, and 2 ATP titles. 

- I underwent two major knee surgeries, the recovery process was long and complex. I even though of quitting tennis because I didn't believe I could ever get back to playing at this level. But I decided to fight, and here I am - right where I was before the injury - Cuevas said.


- I don't know what my limit is. The time will tell, but I know I didn't even expect this much. I have never won so many matches in a row before.


He displayed character after refusing to cancel the Liberec challenger, despite having done 13 matches before it. He crashed out of that challenger in the second round. It was very clear that he's tired, and on top of that he had problems with his back. 


Regardless of the effort he puts in the matches, the Uruguayan is the underdog in this match. He won only 2 Grand Slam matches on hard court, while hard court tournaments are precisely what got Andersson in the Top 20. He recorded 21 ATP win on hard court this season, while Cuevas didn't play on that surface this season at all.


The last few weeks were tough for the South African player. He's currently in the process of getting American citizenship. Following the tournament in Toronto, fatigue was the characteristic of his game in Cincinnati. Isner took advantage of it to beat him, and the tournament in Winston Salem he did right after didn't do him much good either. 


- I didn't plan on coming to Winston-Salem, but I left the last tournament after the first round, and I needed more matches - Anderson said, and added he's not concerned about his performances:


- I feel good. I win on a regular basis. The few defeats, like the two I recorded against Dimitrov, could have been avoided with just a bit of luck. It's always tough against Isner. I'm doing well ahead of US Open.


Anderson has very little points to defend in the months to come, meaning Top 20 is where he should end the season. He won his only head-to-head meeting with Cuevas. It was on clay, and Anderson was the underdog in that match. The situation has changed in that respect since. As already mentioned, this will be Cuevas' first hard court match this season.