Montpellier previews and predictions: Rublev vs. Chardy, Mahut vs. Brown

A place in the Montpellier quarterfinals will be at stake when Andrey Rublev goes up against Jeremy Chardy on Wednesday night. Meanwhile, second-round action is wrapping up with a showdown between fellow veterans Nicolas Mahut and Dustin Brown.

(6) Andrey Rublev vs. Jeremy Chardy

Rublev and Chardy will be facing each other for the first time in their careers at the ATP level but for the fourth time overall when they clash in the second round of the Open Sud de France on Wednesday. The head-to-head series stands at a perfect 3-0 in favor of Rublev, who prevailed on an indoor hard court in both 2016 and 2017 before getting the job done again last season via a 7-5, 6-4 decision on the outdoor hard courts of Irving, Texas.

Fast forward 11 months and Rublev is now an even bigger favorite on paper. The 20-year-old Russian is up to No. 36 in the world thanks in part to a quarterfinal performance at last summer’s U.S. Open, a recent runner-up finish in Doha, and a third-round appearance at the Australian Open. Rublev maintained momentum on Monday in Montpellier by beating Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 6-4, 6-4. Chardy punched his ticket to the last 16 with a 4-6, 7-5, 7-5 victory over Stefanos Tsitsipas. That was a much-needed win for the 30-year-old Frenchman, who is struggling down at No. 91 in the rankings and was coming off a straight-set loss to Tennys Sandgren in round one of the Australian Open. A more rested and more confident Rublev should have little trouble preventing Chardy from picking up his third match win of the season.

Pick: Rublev in 2

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Dustin Brown vs. Nicolas Mahut

Mahut and Brown will be squaring off for the third time in their careers and for the third time on an indoor hard court in France when they meet again on Wednesday. The head-to-head series is tied up at one victory apiece, with Brown prevailing 6-4, 6-3 at the 2011 Orleans Challenger before Mahut won 6-1, 7-6(4) at last year’s ATP tournament in Metz. Both players currently find themselves outside the top 100, but Mahut is at least on the cusp of direct entry into Grand Slams at No. 105 in the world. The 36-year-old Frenchman missed that opportunity at the Australian Open, where he lost in qualifying after also falling in a qualification effort in Sydney.

Brown has arguably been even worse in 2018. The 125th-ranked German lost in the first round of Doha qualifying, qualified for the Australian Open but exited immediately thereafter to Joao Sousa, fell in round one of the Rennes Challenge, and then lost in the second round of the Quimper Challenger. Mahut should be able to take advantage of a vulnerable opponent and treat the home crowd to a hard-fought and probably more often than not ugly win.

Pick: Mahut in 3

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