French Open Day 2 picks: Querrey vs. Coric, Monaco vs. Delbonis

Ricky Dimon of The Grandstand and Joey Hanf of The Tennis Nerds preview and pick the four best men’s singles matches on Monday at the French Open. Sam Querrey, Borna Coric, Juan Monaco, and Federico Delbonis are among those in action.

Borna Coric vs. Sam Querrey

Ricky: The United States enjoyed a solid first day at the Parisian office, thanks entirely to Steve Johnson (upset Guillermo Garcia-Lopez in five sets). I would be far less surprised by a Querrey win over Coric…but I’d be surprised nonetheless. What’s disappointing for American fans is not that Coric is the mentally tougher player even at 18 years old; what’s disappointing is it’s not even surprising that an 18-year-old is mentally tougher than Querrey. The Millionaire Matchmaker participant will not be helped by clay, a surface on which he got eradicated by Juan Monaco this past week in Nice. Coric 6-4, 6-7(5), 7-6(4), 6-2.

Joey: Coric has generated a lot of hype over the last 12 months, and rightfully so. He’s skyrocketed up the rankings and has beaten a lot of quality players in the process. But the young Croat has shown on many different occasions that he is still vulnerable in certain areas of his game; most notably the forehand. He sometimes struggles to handle pace on that side, and the stroke appears a touch mechanical for this writer’s eye. That being said, his backhand is already among the best in the world and you will rarely see him make an error on the two-hander. Sam Querrey is pretty much being Sam Querrey so far this year. I think we know what to expect from at this point. Both players serve very well on the first delivery but can be attacked on the second serve. I’ll take Querrey based on his experience in best-of-five scenarios as well as his ability to rush Coric’s forehand. Querrey 5-7, 7-6(5), 6-4, 7-6(4).

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Juan Monaco vs. Federico Delbonis

Ricky: This all-Argentine affair should be a good one with both men in decent form. The head-to-head series is tied at 1-1. Delbonis won their only previous clay-court encounter last season, but that was when Monaco was in the midst of a massive slump. Now the veteran is putting on a resurgent display and he should be playing with new-found confidence at Roland Garros. Count on a five-set baseline war of attrition, with Monaco proving to be mentally tougher in the end. Monaco 6-3, 2-6, 5-7, 6-1, 6-4.

Joey: On paper I truly believe this is a must-watch match. Both Monaco and Delbonis are exceptional on clay and their contrast in styles should provide viewers with some quality entertainment. Delbonis has a huge forehand; everybody remembers that from when he beat Federer in Hamburg back in 2013. His ball is extremely heavy and he can create shots from anywhere on the court. The problem for the lefty Argentine is between the ears; he has struggled to close out matches and his ranking has plateaued because of it. Monaco has enjoyed somewhat of a resurgent 2015 campaign and I think many forget that he is already 31(!) years old. Monaco has been successful at Roland Garros in the past and I think he will be too solid for his fellow countryman. A Delbonis win is not out of the question, but Monaco is much more reliable and consistent. Monaco 6-3, 2-6, 6-4, 6-1.

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(Q) Luca Vanni vs. (27) Bernard Tomic

Ricky: Tomic and Vanni have already faced each other once during this clay-court swing, with Vanni prevailing 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(1) in Madrid. It’s really the only thing the 29-year-old Italian has done since his stunning run to the Sao Paulo final as a qualifier. This is his first appearance in the main draw of a Grand Slam, so Tomic has a major edge in experience even though he is obviously up against it in the surface department. Vanni has done well simply to get into the field of 128; among his qualifying wins was a 16-14 in the third score over Adrian Ungur. Tomic 7-5, 6-2, 2-6, 7-6(6).

Joey: When Jack Sock and Vasek Pospisil hosted a “behind the scenes” feature in Madrid, Tomic joked that he had never made the second round of a Masters event on clay…but added, “this is the week.” Two days later the enigmatic Australian was beaten by none other than Luca Vanni in the first round. The fact that these two are playing in the first round of the French is glorious, and I personally can’t wait to see what unfolds. Bernie is indeed the exact opposite of a clay-court specialist and he struggles mightily to move on the surface. Vanni is an Italian journeyman who is enjoying by far the best year of his career. Court 7 should serve as a nice stage for what should be an epic encounter regardless of the result. Flipping a coin to pick the winner…. Vanni 1-6, 6-2, 7-6(4), 3-6, 10-8.

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(31) Viktor Troicki vs. Jan-Lennard Struff

Ricky: It’s a borderline miracle that Troicki has a number next to his name for his second Grand Slam since a year-long suspension. But a stellar start to this season has the Serb seeded in Paris. Troicki has cooled off a bit recently, but he played relatively well in both Monte-Carlo and Rome. Struff is just 5-13 at the ATP level in 2015 and clay is not the right stuff for Struff to get back on track. Troicki 6-4, 6-4, 6-4.

Joey: I’ve been high on Struff for a long time and felt like 2015 was the year would break out and maybe cracked the top 30. To put it simply, it’s been an awful first half for the talented German; his best performance came in a five-set loss to Gilles Simon in Davis Cup. Troicki on, the other hand, has been pretty solid and has gotten his ranking back to where it usually hovers–between 20 and 40. The matchup in an interesting one, with each player possessing a steadier backhand than forehand. Results and momentum favor Troicki, but I’m sticking with Struff simply because of the weapons he wields off the ground. I would be shocked if this match finished in straight sets. The quality of play will go through many peaks and valleys in a marathon five-setter. Struff 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(3), 2-6, 7-5.

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