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Groth: Balls are bouncing higher here than on hardcourt

The Australian pulverized Estrella. He fired 17 aces and allowed for a single break-point to ended a 6-match losing run. Lopez is the first seed and has no points to defend, and with 33 he's on the verge of getting into the Top 10

At the start of the season Groth said that an especially uncomfortable opponent doesn't give other players a chance to catch rhythm. That's true, but he has to have a good day to be uncomfortable. His style is similar to Raonic's, although he goes forward a lot more. He risks a lot, and the serve is the founding stone. When the opponent doesn't have an answer to that, then usually it all comes down to a small number of chances on the return. This time he used one of them, played a solid tie-break and in the end that was enough for him to pass.

The Australian arrived to Houston with a 6-game losing streak. He's on the verge of falling out of the Top 100, and he rarely plays on clay. For the last two years it were only Roland Garros qualifications and the Chinese challenger which he abandoned after the first round. That's why beating Estrella was especially important. It was a match decided in details. Only one break in the entire match. Of course, Groth dominated the serve. He threw in 17 aces with 80% of points won on the first throw-in. He offered a single tie-break, and the speed of his serve sometimes surpassed 240 kmph.

- I served well, and here balls are bouncing higher here than on hardcourt, which suits me. I think I can make a lot of problems in such conditions - Groth was pleased, although he is constantly trying to escape his great server reputation:

- It's nice to have a good serve, but I can't achieve my goals with the serve alone. Now I'm up against Lopez. I have nothing to lose.

Lopez hasn't either. Last year he forfeited here in the second round, and was without a win until Madrid. He had a weak clay season. That was never his forte anyway, so there's no pressure. He has the motive. He crept up to the 12th place and with a couple of good scores he could enter the Top 10. That deserves respect because by the end of the summer he'll turn 34.

He got a wildcard here and automatically became the first seed. He didn't feel like going out of the States, and conditions on this tournament suit him more than on classical European clay. He lost to Thiem in Miami. Maybe that looked like a slip at first, but the Austrian was excellent, he took a set even from Murray. Before that he reached Indian Wells quarter-finals. That was an especially good score because conditions didn't suit him at all. Once more he showed how confident he is.

Even though this is clay, and the two of them never met before, it wouldn't be surprising to see a match with very few chances on the return. The left-handed Spaniard is fighting for Top 19, Groth to remain in Top 100, and both base their games on the serve. Of course, Lopez can create a lot of trouble with his backhand slice for anyone, as well as with his smart tactical game; only Groth doesn't allow a lot of exchanges. We can recall Lopez in Quito this season. He played six overtime sets in four matches. Quito is on a high altitude level, but even that he was the great favorite for the title. It won't be easy to play against the Australian.

This is a tournament that has previously been won by Isner and Karlovic...The surface used to be green clay but that changed. it is still very fast though, nothing like any European clay surfaces. Gorth fired 17 aces in the first round and allowed Estrella to have only one break point. He said that the ball bounces higher here than on hardcourt. Estrella won Quito (high altitude) in these conditions and couldn't do anything against the Australian. Groth did nothing against his service either, having converted a single break point. Lopez reached Quito final and lost to Estrella. He played 6 tie-breaks in 4 matches back then. He'll need time for adjustment as well since he was given the first round bye and Groth allows no rhythm. I was surprised with the odds at first set tie break, which is set as if the match was being played in Casablanca. Service games are easier to win here than in Indian Wells and Miami. I expected 3 at the most, which I would have probably played.

The bet is under the '1st Set Correct Score' offer. It's for a 7-6 score of the first set, doesn't matter for whom. Of course, any kind of overs in the first set are a good option.