Halle R2 previews and picks: Federer vs. Gulbis, Karlovic vs. Zverev

Roger Federer will be aiming for a spot in the Halle quarterfinals when he faces Ernests Gulbis on Wednesday. Ivo Karlovic and Alexander Zverev are also part of the second-round schedule.

(1) Roger Federer vs. Ernests Gulbis

Federer and Gulbis will be squaring off for the fifth time in their careers when they clash in round two of the Gerry Weber Open on Wednesday. The head-to-head series stands at an even 2-2, but three of their previous meetings have come on clay and none has been contested on grass. Their most memorable showdown took place last spring at the French Open, where Gulbis pulled off a 6-7(5), 7-6(3), 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 upset. They also faced each other three times in 2010, including just once on a hard court when Federer prevailed 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 in Doha.

Based on current form, their streak of four final sets in as many matches appears to be in serious jeopardy. Gulbis is at least starting to find the win column once in a blue moon, but the 86th-ranked Latvian is still a horrendous 4-13 for the season. He opened on Tuesday in Halle with a 6-4, 7-6(3) victory over Sergiy Stakhovsky. Federer endured a real fight against Philipp Kohlschreiber and was two points from defeat in a decisive tiebreaker before surviving 7-6(8), 3-6, 7-6(5). The second-ranked Swiss is coming off a runner-up showing in Rome and a quarterfinal appearance at the French Open in his two most recent events. The surface is also significantly in Federer’s favor, so a straightforward affair can be expected.

Pick: Federer in 2

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(WC) Alexander Zverev vs. (8) Ivo Karlovic

Arguably Germany’s most promising young player, Zverev was awarded a wild card into the main draw and he has so far made the most of his opportunity. The 18-year-old took out qualifier Jarkko Nieminen 6-4, 6-4 on Monday. Ranked 81st in the world, Zverev now owns eight ATP-level match victories for his career–exactly half of which have come this season.

Up next for the youngster is a first-ever meeting with Karlovic, who advanced on Monday by overcoming Santiago Giraldo 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-4. At the 36 years old, the 6’11” Croat is still an impressive 27th in the world. He has not done much since February, but the huge server is off a 2-1 start on grass with his loss coming in a third-set tiebreaker against Robin Haase last week in ‘s-Hertogenbosch. It will not help Zverev that he has never previously been on the other side of the net from the Karlovic serve. Seeing it for the first time on grass will be especially difficult.

Pick: Karlovic in 2

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