Roger Federer will begin his quest for a 10th Basel title when he kicks off his week against qualifier Peter Gojowyczk on opening night. Monday’s schedule also includes a showdown between Jan-Lennard Struff and Miomir Kecmanovic.
(1) Roger Federer vs. (Q) Peter Gojowyczk
Federer and Gojowyczk will be going head-to-head for the third time in their careers when they clash in round one of the Swiss Indoors Basel on Monday night. Both of their previous encounters have gone Federer’s way in routine fashion; 6-4, 6-4 at the 2018 Cincinnati Masters and 6-1, 7-5 earlier this season in Indian Wells. There is no reason to think it will improve for Gojowycz in Basel, where Federer is a laughable 71-9 lifetime with nine titles. The 38-year-old Swiss is 20-0 in his last 20 matches at this event, with titles in 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018.
It has already been a productive stay in Basel for Gojowyczk, who qualified for the main draw with victories over Ivo Karlovic and Casper Ruud. The 112th-ranked German has struggled on the big stage in 2019, with a 10-20 ATP-level record heading into Monday. He had been on an eight-match losing streak (Challengers and qualifying matches included) before beating Karlovic on Saturday. Needless to say, Gojowycz is in no kind of form to trouble Federer in this one.
Pick: Federer in 2 losing 5-7 games
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Jan-Lennard Struff vs. Miomir Kecmanovic
Kecmanovic appears to have hit the wall toward the tail end of a breakthrough 2019 campaign. The 20-year-old has earned all 22 of his main-tour match wins this season, but things have stalled dating back to a U.S. Open second-round upset loss to Paolo Lorenzo. Kecmanovic is 2-5 in his last seven matches with one of those victories coming via retirement and the other coming against world No. 424 Artem Dubrivnyy.
Up first for the 54th-ranked Serb on Monday in Basel is a second career contest against Struff, who dominated their only previous meeting 6-2, 6-2 this summer on the grass courts of Stuttgart. Struff is also wrapping up the best season of his career, during which he has compiled a 30-25 record. The 41st-ranked German has also cooled off in recent weeks, but he at least managed to advance one round last week in Antwerp before falling to Frances Tiafoe. Struff should once again have too much firepower on this surface for a struggling Kecmanovic.
Pick: Struff in 2
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