betprepare.com

More experienced Berlocq chosen instead of Schwartzman

The Argentinian selector is relying on the experience of his oldest player, which makes sense. The Brazilians on the other hand rely on their doubles and Bellucci and Souza having their day

Upon arriving to Argentina the Brazilian doubles pair Soares/Melo, their strike team for Saturday, said that the Argentinians slowed down the surface as much as they could. One of the reasons for that is the aggression of Souza and Bellucci, and the other the movement and running of Berlocq, who does best in such conditions, and is thus favored against both Brazilian players.

Although Charly is not ranked better than Schwartzman, coach Orsanic gave this explanation for his choice.

- Carlos, Federico and Diego are all ready to play and in good form. I chose Carlos because he has much more experience in the Davis Cup, especially in Argentina- said Orsanic, and added:

-I'm confident that Charly can neutralize Souza.

After all, Berlocq did easily beat Schwartzman last week in Buenos Aires, in a match where he did not allow a single break point. He also played a good match against Rafael Nadal there, holding 6-1 in the first set tie-break and 2-0 in the second set as well. However, the Spaniard's quality showed when the going was hardest. Generally speaking however, this was his best tennis this year, and could not have come at a better time for the Davis Cup selector.

As far as the national team goes, Berlocq is, as the selector pointed out, more experienced than the rest of the team. As for all South Americans, playing for one's country is a special thing. The social networks still have him taking off his shirt after the victory in DC as a headline. The eternal rivalry with Brazil will make this weekend especially interesting as well.

- Playing against Brazil is special, but the more important part is that we're playing at home, in front of our crowd. We have a lot of faith that we'll advance- said Berlocq and added also:

-It's nice to be back, this brings back memories. It's an honor to be part of the team, and I'm filled with positive energy.

On the other side, it's been quite a while since Souza started a year this well. Actually, that's just a continuation of his good games from last year. It's indicative that it all started when he was not invited to the national team for the match against Spain last year. That hurt his ego, he started working harder and better, even hired a psychologist, and moved up in ranks at a stunning pace. His last two tournaments were back to back ATP semifinal and quarterfinal matches.

At Sao Paolo he beat Busta, Klizan, and the top Argentinian player, Mayer. This means the home team need to be careful when it comes to Souza. However, as we said, he is one of the reasons they slowed down the surface as the away team are trusting their doubles team, and the aggression and outstanding performance by Bellucci and Souza, who can beat anyone on a good day.

However, the Argentinians are favored here, absolutely. Souza is aware of that.

- Argentina are favored, as they have good players, but we came to fight and I think we have our chances- said Joao.

Berlocq and Souza faced each other only once before, way back in 2011 at the Prostejov challenger. The Brazilian won back then, but the duel has little merit for this situation. If Souza manages to impose his aggression and has his day, he is very dangerous. Charly is more stable and makes less mistakes, consistence being his forte. The stakes are high between eternal rivals. In such situations one can take the line of trusting stability more than a lucky day of the underdog. However, the Argentinian will not underestimate Souza:

- Joao is a dangerous player and has been playing very well lately.

For starters, Berlocq is in great shape and does best playing at home. He is one of the most reliable players and plays his heart out, especially at home. His results in Buenos Aires show how motivated he is and who well he's playing. Souza has come a long way, he is more aggressive, makes less mistakes and is stronger mentally, but still far from Berlocq. The slow surface does not suit his style and he is not as creative. Looking at the fresh results, Souza lost to Rola ta home, and Berlocq swept Rola. The Argentinians also tried very hard to slow down the surface as much as they could, which suits Berlocq perfectly as his movement, speed and fitness will shine in such conditions. In this format, this being DC, with these conditions and the fact Berlocq is playing at home, he should win by at least 8 games.