Basel R2 previews and predictions: Federer vs. Struff, Gulbis vs. Simon

Roger Federer continues his bid for a ninth Swiss Indoors Basel title as he takes on Jan-Lennard Struff in the second round on Thursday. Meanwhile, Ernests Gulbis battles Gilles Simon for a place in the quarterfinals.

(1) Roger Federer vs. Jan-Lennard Struff

Thursday will mark the third meeting this year between Roger Federer and Jan-Lennard Struff. It hasn’t been particularly good news for Struff; the German was ousted from both the Australian Open and Wimbledon at the hands of Federer. In fact, of their three total matches, Struff has yet to win a set.

Federer had a great start to the 2018 season. He snagged the Australian Open title and went into Wimbledon as the title favorite but lost in a quarterfinal upset to Kevin Anderson. In fact, the Swiss has not won a title since Stuttgart. He stands at 39-7 for the season, though, a still-impressive world No. 3 behind Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.

Federer hasn’t been at his best since the U.S. Open; he dropped a set in the first round this week to Filip Krajinovic and lost to Borna Coric at the Shanghai Masters. This is an excellent opportunity for Struff to take his first set from the Maestro.

Cheryl pick: Federer in 3

Ricky pick: Federer in 2

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(SE) Ernests Gulbis vs. Gilles Simon

Latvia’s Ernests Gulbis has nearly clawed his way back into the top 100. In January of 2018, he was ranked No. 204 in the world; in the 10 months since, he has climbed exactly 100 spots. Until now, his low ranking ensured that he would have to qualify for entry into tournaments. He successfully qualified at Wimbledon and made it all the way to the round of 16, accounting for the first three of his nine main draw wins in 2018. Last week in Stockholm, where he was also forced to qualify, he fought his way all the way to the final and added an additional five wins to his record.

Gulbis’ opponent is veteran Gilles Simon, a player Gulbis has never beaten before. Simon plays a stubborn kind of tennis which has been known to annoy even top players and certainly to trouble players who play with flair as Gulbis tends to. He is ranked 32nd in the world, far above Gulbis, and he snagged his second title of the year in Metz. The Frenchman owns a 2-0 record over the Latvian.

Ranking and record would suggest that Simon is the heavy favorite in this match, but Gulbis seems as though he has played himself into good form–and his willingness to play part time on the Challenger circuit seems to indicate a renewed dedication to the sport.

Cheryl pick: Gulbis in 3

Ricky pick: Simon in 3

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