Mikhail Youzhny and Ernests Gulbis will play for the right to meet Andy Murray when they do battle on Tuesday in Cincinnati. John Isner and Florian Mayer are also looking for a spot in the second round.
Ernests Gulbis vs. Mikhail Youzhny
Youzhny and Gulbis will be squaring off for the sixth time in their careers when they collide in the first round of the Western & Southern Open on Tuesday. Gulbis leads the head-to-head series 3-2, but they have split their four previous hard-court encounters at two wins apiece. They have faced each other twice since 2010; Gulbis prevailed 6-2, 6-4, 6-4 at the 2011 U.S. Open before Youzhny scored a 6-4, 6-7(4), 6-2 early last season in Doha.
This is a big match for both players, who have been in strong form at times in 2013. Youzhny, who is 26-17 for the year with a recent clay-court title in Gstaad, likely needs a win for a Top 24 seed at the U.S. Open. Gulbis, coming off a quarterfinal showing in Montreal, may need a victory–or two–for U.S. Open seeding. The Latvian, ranked nine spots behind his opponent at 34th in the world, boasts a 27-13 record for the season. Gulbis is a player who relies on confidence and right now he has plenty of it, so he may have too much game for Youzhny as long as he can keep his forehand under control.
Pick: Gulbis in 3
[polldaddy poll=7315034]
Florian Mayer vs. John Isner
Mayer and Isner will be going head-to-head for the second time in their careers on Tuesday. Mayer dominated their only previous encounter 6-4, 6-2 last year on the hard courts of Miami. The 50th-ranked German, however, is just 19-19 for the year after losing in the Montreal second round (beat Bernard Tomic, lost to Novak Djokovic). While has enjoyed some decent success on clay this season, his hard-court record stands at a mere 5-8.
Isner’s season started terribly, but he is once again heating up during the American hard-court summer. The 22nd-ranked American reached the semifinals in Newport, captured the Atlanta title, then finished runner-up to Juan Martin Del Potro in Washington, D.C. A fatigued Isner lost his Montreal opener to eventual semifinalist Vasek Pospisil in a third-set tiebreaker, leaving his 2013 record at 27-18. This is not a great matchup for Isner because Mayer’s slice stays low near the big man’s feet, but current form, surface, and setting should be more than enough for Isner to overcome any such problems.
Pick: Isner in 2
[polldaddy poll=7315037]
Leave a Reply