Davis Cup SF previews and picks: Gasquet vs. Berdych, Tsonga vs. Rosol

The Czech Republic’s bid for a third straight Davis Cup title will be put to a stern test starting on Friday in France. Opening-day singles rubbers pit Richard Gasquet against Tomas Berdych and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga against Lukas Rosol.

Richard Gasquet (FRA) vs. Tomas Berdych (CZE)

Gasquet got blown out by Gael Monfils 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 in the third round of the U.S. Open. Ironically, that may be exactly why Gasquet is in and Monfils is out for first-day singles action in France’s Davis Cup World Group semifinal tie against the Czech Republic. Monfils ended up reaching the quarterfinals and losing to Roger Federer in five sets, while Gasquet is entirely well-rested. The world No. 21 is a decent 27-14 for the season, which includes a recent semifinal showing in Washington, D.C.

Friday’s proceedings on the clay courts of Roland Garros will see Gasquet go up against Berdych for the ninth time in their careers. The Frenchman leads the head-to-head series 5-3 and they have split a pair of clay-court meetings. They last faced each other in 2013, when they split back-to-back Masters 1000 clashes in Indian Wells and Miami. Berdych took advantage of a soft draw to reach the U.S. Open quarters, at which point he got crushed by eventual champion Marin Cilic. With neither man in particularly impressive form at the moment, this one could come down to home-court advantage and surface.

Pick: Gasquet in 5

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Jo-Wilfried Tsonga vs. Lukas Rosol

Tsonga and Rosol will be squaring off for the second time in their careers on Friday. Their only previous encounter came two years ago on the hard courts of Dubai, where Tsonga prevailed 6-3, 6-4. These two veterans are coming off somewhat similar summers. Tsonga turned around an otherwise disappointing year with a title in Toronto before early-round losses in Cincinnati (first) and at the U.S. Open (fourth). Rosol triumphed in Winston-Salem then promptly lost in convincing fashion to 17-year-old Borna Coric in New York.

The 27th-ranked Czech has posted some stellar results on clay in the past, but he is just 4-4 lifetime in main-draw matches at this venue (Roland Garros) following a straight-set loss to Czech teammate Jiri Vesely in the opening round of this season’s French Open. Tsonga is 20-7 lifetime at Roland Garros, a record that includes a semifinal finish in 2013. Playing in front of his home fans, the 12th-ranked Frenchman should have way too much game and flair for Rosol.

Pick: Tsonga in 3

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