Thursday's Kitzbuhel quarterfinal pits Alex Molcan against Alexander Bublik on clay. Alexander Bublik limps in on a 2-match losing skid, just 6 wins in 10. Alex Molcan comes in at 5 wins from the last ten.
Alex Molcan has had the better of this rivalry, winning 2 of 2 against Alexander Bublik. On clay specifically it reads 1-0 Molcan — worth more than the overall number this week.
The serve is where this match separates: Bublik has been winning 77.8% of first-serve points to Molcan's 65.9%, and on clay that gap compounds fast. Molcan comes in off a compressed schedule; Bublik comes in off a compressed schedule. This one is close to a coin flip, and the lean toward Bublik is exactly that — a lean.