Roger Federer will continue his French Open campaign on Wednesday against Marcel Granollers. Ernests Gulbis and Nicolas Mahut are also aiming for a place in the third round.
Marcel Granollers vs. (2) Roger Federer
Looking for his second French Open title, Federer began his fortnight in routine fashion on Sunday. The 33-year-old Swiss improved to 26-5 on the season by disposing of lucky loser Alejandro Falla 6-3, 6-3, 6-4. Federer appears poised to capitalized on what is a borderline ideal draw at Roland Garros, as his current form is impressive. The world No. 2 captured a clay-court title earlier this month in Istanbul and he reached the Rome final before succumbing to Novak Djokovic.
Up next for Federer on Tuesday is another veteran in Granollers. The head-to-head series stands at 3-0 in favor of the favorite, who twice prevailed 6-3, 6-4 in Dubai (2011 and 2013) before scoring a 4-6, 6-1, 6-1, 6-1 victory at last summer’s U.S. Open. Granollers opened on Sunday with a 6-4, 6-3, 7-6(7) defeat of qualifier Matthias Bachinger. The 57th-ranked Spaniard is just 10-12 for the year but a decent 6-5 on clay. As their past meetings suggest, this should be utterly straightforward for a confident Federer.
Pick: Federer in 3 losing 8-10 games
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(24) Ernests Gulbis vs. (WC) Nicolas Mahut
Gulbis and Mahut will be squaring off for the third time in their careers (second at the ATP level) on Tuesday. Both of their previous meetings have gone Gulbis’ way; he got the job done 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 at the 2012 Orleans Challenger and 6-3, 7-6(1) last season on the indoor hard courts of Marseille. Fast forward one year, though, and Gulbis has been a disaster. The 2014 French Open semifinalist is still a wretched 3-12 for his 2015 campaign despite easing past qualifier Igor Sijsling 6-4, 6-4, 7-6(3) on Sunday.
Mahut, who is ranked 116th in the world and needed a wild card to get into the main draw, also benefited from playing a qualifier in round one. He took care of young Belgian Kimmer Coppejans by an almost identical 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(4) scoreline. That was Mahut’s first ATP-level match win of the season. This is a terrible matchup for the 33-year-old Frenchman, especially at Roland Garros–where he is an awful 4-12 lifetime. Gulbis loves facing big servers and playing with a target. In other words, net-rushers play right into his hands. On clay, the 24th seed should have no trouble breaking down Mahut’s aggressive style.
Pick: Gulbis in 3
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Mahut In 4
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I can’t believe I am saying this, but I pick Gulbis to beat Mahut in straight sets.
Does anyone even have to state the obvious, that Fed will beat Granollers easily?
i can’t believe i picked it either….the matchup is just too good for Gulbis
(which means Mahut will probably win 6-3, 6-1, 6-2!)
LOL! That’s why I don’t like to pick Gulbis, because when I do he inevitably loses! 🙂
I was happy Nicolas won.
Am I by myself?
Granollers for the upset and Almagro to tie Soderling’s record are my round 2 predictions.
safe picks
Federer in straight sets and Gulbis in 4
Reblogged this on Tennis Abides.
going for gulbis, he hasn’t won 2 in a row in ’15, but anything can happen with gulbis
he will win 2…but not 3!
Watching Fed/Granollers, SL definitely playing faster than Chatrier, Fed hitting through the court nicely, but the ball not rising shoulder high……………
Gulbis loses the 1st set
and the match!
Verdasco lost to Becker
Gulbis a set down
I’m here all fortnight folks!
Well, I’ll be danged……………@hawkeye63, are you sure you’re not Kamakshi Tandon in disguise??
http://espn.go.com/tennis/french15/story/_/id/12959952/french-open-five-reasons-roger-federer-advantage-french
Draw, scheduling helping Roger Federer
By Tandon Kamakshi
“Despite reaching the final of Rome two weeks ago, Roger Federer wasn’t receiving a lot of attention coming into the French Open. Since then, however, the course of events has left him looking like much more of a title contender. Federer has won his first two matches, including a straightforward win against Marcel Granollers on Wednesday. The legendary champion, though, still has to produce the goods. Here’s a look at the reasons why his chances have improved:
1. The draw
As the No. 2 seed, Federer was assured of being on the other side of No.1-ranked Novak Djokovic, but the Swiss could have had both Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray in his half of the draw. Instead, they are both in Djokovic’s half, and Djokovic and Nadal are in the same quarter, which means whoever reaches the final will likely have had a tougher and potentially more exhausting journey than Fed.
Federer, meanwhile, has a potentially troublesome fourth-round matchup against Gael Monfils, who has defeated the Swiss on clay in their previous two matches. Federer could then face compatriot Stan Wawrinka in the quarterfinals, and after that, potentially either Kei Nishikori or Tomas Berdych in the semifinals. Each has had significant wins against Federer, but Switzerland’s finest has beaten them more often, putting him in a good position to get through.
2. The conditions
Several players have noted the heavy, slow conditions so far at the tournament, especially on the stadium in which Federer plays most of his matches. “That court in particular, Philippe Chatrier, is very slow, extremely slow. I have never felt it like that before,” said Murray, noting it was “very low bouncing, which is strange.”
Said Djokovic: “It’s a bit slippery. It seems there is more clay than usual, and it’s a bit wet.”
That is exactly the kind of court on which Federer won three Hamburg titles and collected one of his few wins against Nadal on clay, so it could be an advantage for Fed if things stay that way. The lower bounce favors him, too, and while slow conditions can be a bigger problem for Federer these days, his versatility should help him adjust his game to the unpredictable courts. It should be noted, however, that Federer won his second-round match against Granollers on Court Suzanne Lenglen.
3. His experience
Going into the tournament, Federer had played more matches at the French Open than anyone else and won more (61-15) than anyone except Nadal (66-1). Federer does not have the same pressure on him that Djokovic, who is going for his first French Open title, does, nor does he face the same scrutiny Nadal faces. “Experience helps in the sense that you’re more relaxed,” Federer said. “You know how you’re going to prepare. Today it’s enough for me to just focus on my game.”
4. Fan interference
Federer was expressly “not happy” when security allowed a fan to run on court for a picture with him following his opening-round victory. But perhaps that could be a sign of good luck. The previous time a spectator jumped on the court with Federer, in the 2009 French final against Robin Soderling, he won the tournament.
5. The scheduling
The oldest man still in the field, Federer could use all the extra rest he can get. Federer, who started play Sunday, is competing in a 15-day tournament. If Federer gets to the final, his opponent will have had to squeeze in more tennis toward the back end of the tournament. It’s an advantage Federer could use, considering this is the most physically demanding major championship.”
Some folk have all the luck……………..
#TheTruthIsOutThere
That or he’s been putting in his own requests.
The chances of Rafa randomly falling in Nole’s quarter and Murray in his half was 6%.
Add the abnormally heavy conditions, flat ball and preferred scheduling plus the RG crowd love and voila!!!