Viktor Troicki and David Goffin will kick off their Bucharest campaigns on Monday. They are set for respective meetings with Marinko Matosevic and Adrian Ungur.
(8) Viktor Troicki vs. Marinko Matosevic
Troicki and Matosevic will be going head-to-head for the first time in their careers when they clash in round one of the BRD Nastase Tiriac Trophy on Monday. Matosevic is coming off a decent showing in Monte-Carlo, where he took care of Fernando Verdasco before falling to eventual finalist Rafael Nadal. The 54th-ranked Australian owns an 8-10 record for his 2013 campaign, which includes a semifinal in Memphis and a third-round performance in Indian Wells.
Whereas Matosevic has broken onto the scene over the last two seasons, Troicki in the midst of an extended slump. The eighth-seeded Serb is 4-9 for the year after getting blown out by Jarkko Nieminen in the Monte-Carlo first round and he is down at No. 45 in the world after once climbing as high as 12th in 2011. Clay may be slightly advantageous for Troicki, but current form points to convincing win for Matosevic.
Pick: Matosevic in 2
(WC) Adrian Ungur vs. David Goffin
Ungur and Goffin will be squaring off for the second time in their careers but for the first time at the ATP level on Monday in Bucharest. They faced each other in a 2009 Futures event on the indoor carpet of Great Britain, where Goffin prevailed 7-6(3), 6-1. The Belgian has made a real name for himself since then and he registers at 64th in the world (as of Sunday) after once peaking as high as No. 42. Goffin is just 5-10 this season following a first-round Monte-Carlo loss to Nicolas Almagro, but he recently won two matches in Miami.
Home-court advantage in this one goes to Ungur, who was given a wild card into this tournament as one of Romania’s best players. The world No. 124 surged in the Top 100 last year (his career-high is 79th) thanks to clay-court Challenger success and a main-draw victory at the French Open. Ungur has cooled off considerably in 2013, so Goffin should have the edge even though the surface favors his opponent.
Pick: Goffin in 3
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