Auckland R1 previews and picks: Fognini vs. Sousa, Garcia-Lopez vs. Rosol

Fabio Fognini will begin his 2016 campaign with a first-round match in Auckland against Joao Sousa on Tuesday. Guillermo Garcia-Lopez and Lukas Rosol are also in action.

(6) Fabio Fognini vs. Joao Sousa

Fognini is coming off an up-and-down 2015 campaign as he prepares to make his season debut at the ASB Classic on Tuesday afternoon. The Italian did not win a single hard-court match until the U.S. Open, although he achieved some success in the meantime on clay. Fognini beat Rafael Nadal in both Rio de Janeiro (reached the final) and Barcelona (reached the quarters), and he finished runner-up in Hamburg (to Nadal). Out of nowhere, the world No. 21 won 11 hard-court matches dating back to the start of the year’s final major–at which he stunned Nadal in five sets en route the fourth round.

Up first for Fognini is a fifth career meeting with Sousa, who–much unlike his opponent–spent more than a week of his offseason training with Nadal in Mallorca. Portugal’s top player capped off his 2015 season with a title in Valencia, but it may not be enough to get him a seed at the Australian Open. Barring any late withdrawals, Sousa will be one spot off the cut line at No. 33 in the world. Meanwhile, Fognini wrapped up last year on a three-match losing streak. Auckland’s sixth seed is likely to win on a hard court long before New York this time around, but it may not come against Sousa.

Pick: Sousa in 3

[polldaddy poll=9267132]

Lukas Rosol vs. Guillermo Garcia-Lopez

Garcia-Lopez and Rosol will be going head-to-head for the fifth time in their careers on Tuesday. They have split their four previous meetings at two wins apiece and the series is also tied 1-1 on hard courts. Perhaps their most memorable showdown came last spring on the clay courts of Bucharest, where Garcia-Lopez prevailed 6-4, 7-6(7). The two veterans took turns extending their hands at the net, but no handshake occurred. They faced each other twice afterward, with Garcia-Lopez getting the job done 6-4, 6-3 in Shenzhen before Rosol earned some revenge via a 6-2, 2-6, 6-3 decision on the indoor hard courts of Paris.

Bucharest non-shake:

Both players fared decently last week in Chennai while avoiding each other in the draw. Rosol beat Santiago Giraldo in straight sets before bowing out to Benoit Paire. Garcia-Lopez advanced to the quarters thanks to defeats of Taro Daniel and Ante Pavic. No. 1 seed and eventual champion Stan Wawrinka eventually took out the 32-year-old Spaniard. Rosol already has one match under his belt this week, as he teamed up with John Isner in doubles to oust second seeds Max Mirnyi and Treat Huey on Monday. Singles may not be as kind to Rosol, who is struggling down at 54th in the rankings. Garcia-Lopez is a two-time quarterfinalist in Auckland, so he should be relatively comfortable in this setting.

Pick: Garcia-Lopez in 3

[polldaddy poll=9267154]