Novak Djokovic will continue his Roland Garros campaign on Thursday against Guido Pella. Tommy Haas and Jack Sock are also in second-round action.
(1) Novak Djokovic vs. Guido Pella
Pella and Djokovic will be squaring off for the first time in their careers when they clash in the second round of the French Open on Thursday afternoon. Djokovic kicked off his fortnight with a 7-6(5), 6-4, 7-5 victory over David Goffin. The top-seeded Serb is now 29-4 for the season and 32-8 lifetime at Roland Garros, which includes a runner-up finish to Rafael Nadal last season. Djokovic, a recent champion on the clay courts of Monte-Carlo, is looking to complete a career Grand Slam at this event.
Needless to say, this does not set up well for Pella–and not just because he is going up against the world No. 1. The 83rd-ranked Argentine is coming off a 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-2, 12-10 win at the expense of Ivan Dodig. On the bright side, for such a scoreline it lasted a relatively short three hours and 24 minutes. Pella is 6-8 at the ATP level this year, which is highlighted by a semifinal run as a qualifier last week in Dusseldorf. Although he is a strong clay-courter, Pella will be hard-pressed to rise to the occasion against such a tough opponent after such a difficult first-round test. Count on this one ending in straight sets, and none of the frames should be as competitive as they were between Djokovic and Goffin.
Pick: Djokovic 6-1, 6-4, 6-2
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(12) Tommy Haas vs. (Q) Jack Sock
Twelve months ago, Haas had to qualify just to get into the French Open main draw. Now, the 35-year-old German is the No. 12 seed and a trendy pick to face Novak Djokovic in next week’s quarterfinals. Haas kept that hope alive with a routine 7-6(4), 6-1, 6-3 win over Guillaume Rufin on Tuesday. The victory improved Haas’ 2013 record to 22-9, which includes a title in Munich and a semifinal run in Miami.
Up next for the world No. 14 is a first-ever meeting with Sock, who cruised through three qualifying matches then scored an outstanding 6-2, 6-2, 7-5 win over Guillermo Garcia-Lopez. The 20-year-old American is 5-5 at the ATP level this season and he is on course to crack the Top 100 for the first time in his career. Sock wields a huge forehand, so he can be a dangerous opponent and he is always capable of streaking his way to at least one set even against top opponents. That being said, Haas has a major edge in current form and Grand Slam experience.
Pick: Haas in 4
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