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Golubev stepped up in the first round

Istomin squeezed through the eye of a needle in the first round against the Australian qualifier and he'll hardly pass with the game he displayed today. Golubev has obviously adapted well to slower courts, and didn't drop any serve against Struff

Istomin has several great appearances behind him on the American hardcourt. The most distinguishable one is US Open, which placed him into the Top 50. That's how he grabbed the seed spot, and, considering his predispositions, we certainly have some expectations. Namely, he is known for his good service and aggressive game he likes to play indoors, where he's had positive experience.

However, the transition from open hardcourt, just as from another continent, is not easy, which was obvious here in his first match. The draw paired him with Groth, tall Australian with great service, but without much ATP experience. The qualifiers gave him certain advantage, since he was able to adapt to the conditions, and he showed he was a worthy opponent.

Many would say more than that, since he deserved to win, so Istomin had to justify his status. The beginning of the match, however, didn't suggest that scenario, since the Uzbek easily took the first set, but then Groth became more relaxed and quickly reached the set and advantage break in the final stage. However, the experience outweighed and Istomin caught up, then saved 00-40 and in the end did a break for the final win. That experience played an important part shows a very important fact about used break chances, where he was in advantage (5/6 against 4/8).

- Very difficult match. I surprised him at the beginning and grabbed an early break that helped me a lot. Later on, I relaxed a bit and he knew how to use that. That's how I soon ended up in trouble and gave a better performance when I didn't have anything left to lose - described Istomin and added:

- to play against a player with such a strong service is always tricky. You have to use even the slightest opportunity that presents itself.

The second round brings Golubev, whose service is a strong asset, even though it's possibly weaker than Groth's. But his rotation possibilities are a lot bigger, many would say that the Kazakh has much larger potential than his rankings indicate. His problem is in his head, because he often doesn't have a backup plan and if his hand isn't set the right way, he defines his own destiny.

Nevertheless, we're talking about a dangerous player who plays very well indoors, and this season, dropping to the challenger level was a good move which gave him more confidence. Now he has a chance to show his improvement on the ATP level, and is on the right track towards that goal.

He eliminated Struff in the first round, the talented German who also plays well indoors. We saw a match in which service was a strong weapon of each opponent, but one of them was stopped. It was Struff, who managed to win the first set in which we didn't see any breaks, but the game went to Golubev's advantage after that first stage.

In the next two sets, he did four breaks, dropped equal amount of gems, and the match ended in a calm manner, with a well-deserved victory. Except for a better service (65 % first throw-inns, eight aces), his game on the court was more dangerous and it was obvious the conditions suited him.

From the first round, we got the impression that the Kazakh is superior, but the game he played against Groth will hardly do today. Golubev remembers finals from his tournament, and after a long time, he has a chance at the ATP level. He already won  two out of three matches against today's opponent.

Though the first match should always be taken with care and bearing in mind he has not fully adjusted to the conditions, what Istomin showed against Groth is below average to say the least. The tall and rather limited Australian had a big ATP win in his hand, but he obviously got spooked, and the Uzbek himself commented he was pretty lucky. Such level of play from Istomin will not pass today, even being better won't cut it, being significantly better just barely might. I think Istomin is not capable of that level at the moment, and the indoor, rather slow conditions obviously don't suit him very well. Judging from his first match, Golubov on the other hand feels fine in those conditions, and since it has been a while since we saw him at the ATP level, I have no doubt he is eager to prove himself. He still remembers the final match of this tournament in 2008, and has already beaten Istomin in two of the three matches they played before. I would not be surprised at all if he were to win. Still, I am going for the safer option which pays with excellent odds at pinni.