Cincinnati R2 previews and picks: Federer vs. Pospisil, Ferrer vs. Kohlschreiber

Roger Federer and David Ferrer will kick off their Cincinnati campaigns on Wednesday. They are set for respective meetings with Vasek Pospisil and Philipp Kohlschreiber.

Vasek Pospisil vs. (2) Roger Federer 

Pospisil and Federer will be squaring off for the third time in their careers when they clash in round two of the Western & Southern Open on Wednesday afternoon. Federer leads the head-to-head series 2-0 following a 7-5, 6-3 victory at the 2011 Rogers Cup and a more hard-fought 6-3, 6-7(3), 7-5 decision last fall in Basel. Pospisil is much different player than what he was in 2011, and perhaps even different than what he was last fall. The 46th-ranked Canadian is now a Grand Slam champion (Wimbledon doubles this summer with Jack Sock). He rounded into singles form with quarterfinal showings in Bogota and Atlanta followed by a runner-up performance in Washington, D.C. Pospisil kicked off his Cincinnati campaign by saving three match points and outlasting Radek Stepanek 5-7, 6-1, 7-6(4).

Federer is back in action three days after losing the Toronto final to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. The 33-year-old Swiss is 44-9 for his 2014 campaign, which includes two titles and runner-up finish at Wimbledon. Federer is a five-time champion in Cincinnati and he played well at this event last year (lost to Rafael Nadal in a tight three-setter in the quarterfinals) having previously been in dreadful form. He should have plenty of confidence despite the setback against Tsonga, but Pospisil is not an easy opening opponent.
Pick: Federer in 3

[polldaddy poll=8242975]Philipp Kohlschreiber vs. (6) David Ferrer

Kohlschreiber and Ferrer will be facing each other for the 10th time in their careers on Wednesday. Ferrer leads the head-to-head series 7-3, including 5-2 on hard courts. The two veterans most recently collided early last season in the Auckland final, with Ferrer prevailing 7-6(5), 6-1. Ferrer is coming off a quarterfinal appearance in Toronto, where he fell to Federer in three sets. The 32-year-old Spaniard may be slowing down just a bit at this point in his career, but he is still a solid sixth in the world.

Whereas Ferrer snagged a first-round bye as the No. 6 seed, Kohlschreiber opened on Monday with a 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 win over Jeremy Chardy. The 24th-ranked German is 30-19 for the season, which is highlighted by a title on the clay courts of Dusseldorf. Kohlschreiber sorely needed a first-round victory, however, because he had dropped opening matches in both Kitzbuhel and Toronto. Ferrer is somewhat vulnerable, but past head-to-head history and current form suggest he should be able to hold off his underdog opponent.

Pick: Ferrer in 3

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