Bernard Tomic and Ivo Karlovic are set for a first-round showdown on Tuesday in Bangkok. Lukas Rosol and Lukasz Kubot are also contesting an opener.
Ivo Karlovic vs. Bernard Tomic
Karlovic and Tomic will be going head-to-head for the first time in their careers when they collide in round one of the Thailand Open on Tuesday. It has been a tumultuous season for Tomic both on and off the court. The 50th-ranked Aussie is a decent 23-16 for the year, but seven of his wins came in his first two tournaments (including a title in Sydney). Tomic lost to Daniel Evans in the second round of the U.S. Open before winning a pair of Davis Cup singles rubbers against Poland.
Karlovic’s 2013 campaign features an opposite trajectory. He was slowed by a foot injury in the beginning, but the 6’10” Croat captured a title in Bogota this summer and he qualified for the U.S. Open before reaching the second round (beat James Blake, lost to Stanislas Wawrinka). Karlovic is a dangerous opponent every time he takes the court, especially on an indoor hard court. The surface should help him get past Tomic, who won’t enjoy the challenge of returning his opponent’s serve.
Pick: Karlovic in 3
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Lukasz Kubot vs. (8) Lukas Rosol
Kubot and Rosol will be squaring off for the third time in their careers at the ATP level on Tuesday in Bangkok. They have split their two previous encounters; Kubot prevailed 6-3, 6-3 two years ago on the indoor hard courts of Kuala Lumpur before Rosol rolled 7-5, 6-2 last season on the clay of Belgrade.
Something will have to give in this one, because both men are coming off dismal hard-court summers. Rosol is a mere 4-14 on the ATP Tour since winning an April clay-court title in Bucharest. Kubot made a run to the Wimbledon quarterfinals, but he has not won an ATP main-draw match since that event. Rosol will have to serve extremely well in this one to have a chance, because his confidence is lacking and Kubot’s all-court game is superior to that of the No. 8 seed.
Pick: Kubot in 3
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Two more predictions bite the dust…………..