Basel R1 previews and picks: Wawrinka vs. Karlovic, Anderson vs. Coric

Stan Wawrinka and Kevin Anderson will contest their Basel openers on Wednesday. They have intriguing matchups on their hands with Ivo Karlovic and Borna Coric, respectively.

Ivo Karlovic vs. (2) Stan Wawrinka

Wawrinka and Karlovic will be squaring off for the seventh time in their careers and for the second time this season when they do battle in round one of Swiss Indoors Basel on Wednesday. The head-to-head series stands at 5-1 in favor of Wawrinka, who most recently outlasted Karlovic 6-7(2), 7-6(5), 7-6(5) in a Cincinnati showdown that featured zero breaks of serve (both players had three break points). That was not their first thriller, as the Swiss also prevailed 11-9 in the fifth set at Wimbledon in 2006. Karlovic’s lone victory came via a 6-3, 7-6(3) decision on the grass courts of Queen’s Club in 2007.

Following a brief rough patch after the winning the French Open, Wawrinka picked up the pace at the U.S. Open. The fourth-ranked Swiss is 14-2 in his last 16 matches dating back to the start of the season’s final Grand Slam, with a title in Tokyo. Also in fine form, Karlovic is 36-23 for the season and up to 23rd in the world. The 36-year-old Croat reached the Vienna quarterfinals last week before succumbing to Ernests Gulbis 7-6(4), 7-6(5). A similarly tough setback could be in the offing for Karlovic, because he is a surprisingly poor 4-7 in tiebreakers this fall and 4-11 in ‘breakers dating back to his second set against Wawrinka in Cincinnati.

Pick: Wawrinka in 2

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(4) Kevin Anderson vs. Borna Coric

Anderson and Coric will be going head-to-head for the second time in their careers on Wednesday. Their only previous meeting came this summer in Winston-Salem, where Anderson scored a 6-2, 7-6(1) victory on his way to the title. The 6’8” South African’s hot streak consisting of the Winston-Salem triumph and a quarterfinal performance at the U.S. Open is a big reason why he is 12th in the world and in contention for an alternate spot at the World Tour Finals.

Coric’s breakout 2015 campaign includes 25 of his 32 career ATP-level match wins, but he registers 14 spots off his best-ever ranking at 47th in the world in part because his 2014 Basel semifinal points have already come off the board. The 18th-ranked Croat may be slowing down mentally and physically at the end of a very long year, saddled with a 1-5 record in ATP tournament matches since his last tilt against Anderson. A veteran like Anderson who is playing with a ton of confidence should be able to capitalize.

Pick: Anderson in 2

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