Andy Murray cannot waste any time shifting into high gear for the Erste Bank Open because he faces a tough opening opponent in Vasek Pospisil on Thursday. Lukas Rosol and Viktor Troicki are also in second-round action.
Vasek Pospisil vs. (2) Andy Murray
Murray and Pospisil will be going head-to-head for the first time in their careers when they collide in round two of the Erste Bank Open on Thursday. Pospisil, who barely missed out on a seeded spot, had to survive a major scare on Tuesday just to make it this far. The 44th-ranked Canadian outlasted Daniel Brands 6-3, 6-7(3), 7-6(2) while blasting 27 aces. Pospisil is 19-20 for the season following successive second-round exits in Shenzhen, Beijing, and Shanghai.
Like his opponent, Murray also began this year with back issues and he needs a strong finish in order to qualify for the World Tour Finals. The 11th-ranked Scot’s fall swing has been a mixed bag, with a title in Shenzhen followed by a semifinal loss to Novak Djokovic in Tokyo and a surprising third-round loss to David Ferrer in Shanghai. Pospisil will have a chance if he enjoys another huge serving day, but Murray is one of the best returners in the business and the underdog will not get by with a first-serve percentage of 55 and 10 double-faults that he turned in against Brands.
Pick: Murray in 3
[polldaddy poll=8375394]
(5) Lukas Rosol vs. (Q) Viktor Troicki
Troicki’s comeback from a one-month suspension began in mid-July and he is now one win away from his third ATP quarterfinal during this resurgent stretch. It also includes two titles, a semifinal, and two quarterfinals at the Challenger level. Back up to No. 127 in the world, the 28-year-old Serb qualified for the Moscow main draw then cruised past Victor Estrella Burgos 6-0, 6-3 on Tuesday.
Up next for Troicki on Thursday is a sixth career meeting with Rosol. The head-to-head series stands at 3-2 in Rosol’s favor, but Troicki won their only previous hard-court encounter 6-4, 7-6(4) two years ago in Doha. All of their other clashes have come on clay, including most recently at last spring’s Rome Masters–where Troicki prevailed 3-6, 6-1, 6-4. Rosol is 29-26 for his 2014 campaign after rolling over Lukas Lacko 6-2, 6-4 on Wednesday. Lacko, though, may have been fatigued after winning the Tashkent Challenger last week and he could not capitalize on Rosol’s 46 percent serving. An in-form Troicki is unlikely to be so generous.
Pick: Troicki in 3
[polldaddy poll=8376481]
Leave a Reply