Tuesday will wrap up the three-day slate of first-round matches at the French Open, and it should not disappoint. Included on the schedule is Andreas Seppi vs. Santiago Giraldo and Carlos Berlocq vs. Lleyton Hewitt.
(32) Andreas Seppi vs. Santiago Giraldo
Seppi beat out Giraldo by one spot and 32 ranking points for the final seed at the French Open. Now they will settle it on the court, as they are set to face each other for the first time in their careers on Tuesday. It is Giraldo who is enjoying superior form at the moment, with an 18-13 record to show for his 2014 campaign. The world No. 35 reached the Houston semifinals, the Barcelona title match, the Madrid quarterfinals, and the Rome third round.
For Seppi, on the other hand, the season has been a major disappointment. The 30-year-old Italian owns a 10-15 record and his only two quarterfinals have come at weak 250-point clay-court events. He took care of Adrian Mannarino last week in Dusseldorf before losing in routine straight sets to Denis Istomin. While both Giraldo and Seppi are solid on clay, it is the Colombian who is obviously feeling far more comfortable on it right now.
Pick: Giraldo in 4
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Lleyton Hewitt vs. Carlos Berlocq
Hewitt and Berlocq will also be going head-to-head for the first time in their careers on Tuesday. While Seppi and Giraldo are separated by two places in the rankings, Hewitt (46th) and Berlocq (47th) are right next to each other. They also have similar records to their credit in 2014; the Australian is 10-9 and the Argentine is 11-8.
Exactly half of Hewitt’s wins this season, however, have come in the very first week, when he beat Kei Nishikori and Roger Federer en route to the Brisbane title. Berlocq’s clay-court swing includes a title in Oeiras and a quarterfinal performance last week in Nice. A considerable edge in current form goes to the 31-year-old, who–unlike Hewitt–prefers clay to any other surface. Hewitt’s ever-present fight, though, will once again keep him competitive.
Pick: Berlocq in 5
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Why no prediction for Andy Murray R1?