Vienna R1 previews and predictions: Querrey vs. Tsonga, Pouille vs. Kohlschreiber

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga’s season has been a short one, but he hopes to end it on a high note as he begins his week in Vienna against Sam Querrey on Tuesday. Another intriguing first-rounder pits Lucas Pouille against Philipp Kohlschreiber.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga vs. Sam Querrey

Querrey and Tsonga will be squaring off for the eighth time in their careers when they clash in round one of the Erste Bank Open on Tuesday. The head-to-head series stands at 4-3 in favor of Tsonga, but Querrey won both of their 2017 encounters and it is all tied up at two wins apiece on hard courts. Their only previous indoor showdown came during this same week of the 2011 campaign (when Valencia instead of Vienna was worth 500 points), with Querrey getting the job done 7-6(5), 6-2.

Tsonga is wrapping up an abbreviated, injury-plagued year in which he has compiled a modest 5-4 record and has tumbled outside the top 100 (currently 113th). He recently returned for the first time since a seven-month absence and went 1-2 in Metz and Antwerp, picking up a win over Guido Pella while losing to Peter Gojowyczk and Gael Monfils (all three matches required a third set). Querrey is struggling down at 56th in the rankings with a 23-21 record for the season. The 6’6” American is coming off a third-round showing in Shanghai, where he defeated Diego Schwartzman and Taylor Fritz before succumbing to Kei Nishikori. Querrey’s serve combined with Tsonga’s rust will likely make enough of a difference in this one.

Pick: Querrey in 3

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Philipp Kohlschreiber vs. Lucas Pouille

Pouille’s 2017 campaign ended with a Davis Cup-clinching victory and he has to hope for a similar conclusion to this season. The 24th-ranked Frenchman is likely focused on Davis Cup and Davis Cup only, as he certainly won’t be heading to the Nitto ATP Finals in London. Pouille, who can cement his place on the French team with a couple of strong results in Vienna and Paris, is a mediocre 24-18 this year. He has not won a tournament match since round two of the U.S. Open, most recently losing to Tennys Sandgren 6-4, 6-4 last week in Stockholm.

Up first for Pouille on Tuesday is a third career contest against Kohlschreiber, who prevailed 7-5, 6-2 on the indoor hard courts of Rotterdam in 2017 before falling 6-4, 2-6, 6-3 last summer on the lawn of Stuttgart. The 34th-ranked German is right on the border of 2019 Australian Open seeding and he helped his chances with a fourth-round run at the U.S. Open and a quarterfinal performance in Stockholm. A clear edge in current form goes to Kohlschreiber, who should be able to extend Pouille’s slump.

Pick: Kohlschreiber in 3

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