Marseille R2 previews and predictions: Krajinovic vs. Simon, Muller vs. Mahut

Frenchmen Gilles Simon and Nicolas Mahut will play in front of the home crowd while going up against seeded opponents on Thursday in Marseille. Simon is facing Filip Krajinovic in the second round, while Mahut has a date with Gilles Muller.

(8) Filip Krajinovic vs. Gilles Simon

Krajinovic and Simon will be going head-to-head for the first time in their careers when they battle for a place in the quarterfinals of the Open 13 on Thursday. At No. 36 in the world, Krajinovic heads into this showdown ranked 30 spots ahead of his opponent. That is thanks almost entirely to a shocking runner-up performance on the indoor hard courts of Paris last fall. The beginning of 2018 has not been as kind to the 25-year-old Serb, who missed the Australian Open due to an Achilles’ injury. He at least managed to advance one round in Rotterdam (beat Felix Auger-Aliassime, lost to Grigor Dimitrov) and beat Joao Sousa 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 on Tuesday.

Simon has endured physical problems of his own (knee), which forced him to retire from a second-round Aussie Open match against Pablo Carreno Busta. Nonetheless, the 33-year-old Frenchman is still an impressive 8-3 at the ATP level this season with a title in Pune and a 7-6(3), 7-6(4) victory over Maximilian Marterer in the Marseille first round. Based on current form and home-court advantage, Simon should have a slight edge in this one.

Pick: Simon in 3

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(6) Gilles Muller vs. Nicolas Mahut

Muller and Mahut will be squaring off for just the second time in their careers at the ATP level but also for the eighth time overall when they meet again on Thursday. Mahut is leading the head-to-head series 5-2 after most recently prevailing 6-4, 6-4 in the 2016 ‘s-Hertogenbosch final. The world No. 100 is 3-0 against Muller on indoor hard courts, with Challenger victories in 2007, 2010, and 2011. Mahut is no longer in peak form at 36 years old, but he remains an absolute force in doubles and has continued to accrue marginal singles success. The Frenchman advanced one round in Montpellier and successfully qualified last week in Rotterdam before falling to David Goffin.

Mahut beat Stefanos Tsitsipas 7-5, 7-6(4) on Wednesday in Marseille, while Muller advanced with a 7-5, 6-3 win over lucky loser Segiy Stakhovsky. The 28th-ranked Luxembourgian is a mediocre 5-5 this season with a third-round showing at the Australian Open and quarterfinal finishes in Sydney and Sofia. Most of Muller’s struggles against Mahut came many years ago, but–when healthy–he has been in outstanding form dating back to the start of last season and he should be able to put himself in yet another quarterfinal.

Pick: Muller in 3

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