Philipp Kohlschreiber and Marcos Baghdatis will kick off their Auckland campaigns during first-round action on Tuesday. They are set for respective meetings with Pablo Carreno Busta and Steve Johnson.
(5) Philipp Kohlschreiber vs. Pablo Carreno Busta
Kohlschreiber is back in action at one of his favorite tournaments as he prepares to take the court in Auckland for the Heineken Open. The 22nd-ranked German is 22-7 lifetime at the event with a title in 2008, a runner-up performance in 2013, and he has lost prior to the quarterfinals only once in nine appearances. Kohlschreiber is looking to bounce back from a second-round ouster last week on Doha, where he fell to countryman Peter Gojowczyk in a pair of tiebreakers.
Up first for the No. 5 seed on Tuesday is Carreno Busta, who is coming off a 6-4, 6-3 first-round Chennai loss to Yuki Bhambri. Carreno Busta was dominant at the Futures level in 2013 and earned his first seven ATP-level match victories as he soared into the Top 100. The 22-year-old Spaniard is up to No. 61 in the world. Although Carreno Busta is a tough customer, Kohlschreiber’s superior hard-court prowess and experience in Auckland should see him through to the last 16 without too much trouble.
Pick: Kohlschreiber in 2
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(WC) Marcos Baghdatis vs. (LL) Steve Johnson
Baghdatis and Johnson will also be facing each other for the first time in their careers on Tuesday. Johnson reached the final round of qualifying and was already assured of a place in the main draw when he faced fellow American Bradley Klahn (the loser was set to take Gael Monfils’ spot). Klahn prevailed 7-6(5), 7-6(3) over a relatively in-form Johnson, who won the USTA’s Australian Open Wild Card Playoffs last month.
While Johnson slumped badly last fall following the U.S. Open, Baghdatis was mostly a disaster the entire season. The Cypriot is all the way down at No. 109 in the world after compiling a 15-22 record in 2013. He skipped Brisbane last week and subsequently plummeted 22 spots because he reached the semifinals of that tournament last year. Still, Baghdatis is too good from the baseline for Johnson and should be able to get the job done unless the lucky loser serves incredibly well and wins key points with big first serves.
Pick: Baghdatis in 3
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