Milos Raonic faces a potentially tough first-round Halle showdown against Gael Monfils on Tuesday. Ernests Gulbis and Marcos Baghdatis will also be in action as part of a jam-packed schedule.
Gael Monfils vs. (5) Milos Raonic
Monfils and Roanic will be going head-to-head for the second time in their careers when they clash in round one of the Gerry Weber Open on Tuesday. Their only previous encounter came two seasons ago on the indoor hard courts of Stockholm, where Monfils prevailed 6-7(6), 6-4, 6-3. The resurgent Frenchman has been in fine form over his last three events, winning a Challenger, finishing runner-up in Nice, and scoring two impressive wins at Roland Garros. Monfils is back up to No. 67 in the world after finding himself outside the Top 100 as recently as mid-May.
Raonic is a solid 20-9 for his 2013 campaign, but he will be happy to move to faster surfaces than clay for the rest of the season. While the 15th-ranked Canadian reached the semis in Barcelona, he went just 4-4 combined in all other tournaments during the clay-court swing. Raonic has advanced to the quarterfinals in each of his two Halle appearances (lost to Roger Federer in a third-set tiebreaker in 2012). Monfils would have a great shot in this matchup on the slow stuff, but Raonic’s serve and overall power should prove to be a major problem for his opponent on this surface.
Pick: Raonic in 3
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Marcos Baghdatis vs. Ernests Gulbis
Gulbis and Baghdatis will be squaring off for the sixth time in their careers when they collide on Tuesday in Halle. Baghdatis is leading the head-to-head series 4-1, but they have faced each other only once on grass and they have not met since the 2010 Rome Masters (a blowout 6-2, 6-2 victory for Gulbis). The Cypriot won a 2007 Wimbledon encounter 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 and his most recent triumph over Gulbis came via a 6-2, 6-2 decision at the 2009 Sony Ericsson Open.
It has been a tale of two seasons for this pair of competitors. Gulbis is an outstanding 20-8 at the ATP level, a record that is highlighted by a title in Delray Beach and a fourth-round showing at the Indian Wells Masters. Baghdatis, on the other hand, has lost in the first round of seven consecutive tournaments and he is now below .500 at 9-10 for the year. Still, the world No. 40 registers only two spots behind his Latvian adversary in the rankings. Grass will help Baghdatis keep points short and stay competitive, but Gulbis is the obvious choice based on current form.
Pick: Gulbis in 2
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I think both matches will be fun for the fans, but I also like Raonic and Gulbis.