Geneva R1 previews and predictions: Berankis vs. Gulbis, Johnson vs. Youzhny

The final tune-ups for the French Open will continue on Monday, when Ernests Gulbis goes up against Ricardas Berankis in Geneva. Steve Johnson and Mikhail Youzhny are also in first-round action.

Ernests Gulbis vs. Ricardas Berankis

Berankis and Gulbis will be going head-to-head for the first time in their careers when they clash in round one of the Geneva Open on Monday. Gulbis wasted a golden opportunity for a much-needed big week in Rome, where he got to face lucky loser Lucas Pouille in the second round instead of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. The 76th-ranked Latvian led by a set and a break only to lose in three, soon after which Pouille ended up in the semifinals. Gulbis is a horrendous 3-9 at the ATP level this season, but he at least got some matches under his belt in Rome by qualifying for the main draw and beating Ivo Karlovic 6-7(3), 6-2, 6-3.

Perhaps Gulbis should have taken a page out of Berankis’ book by going back to the Challenger circuit to pick up both confidence and ranking points. The 25-year-old Lithuanian is up to a career-high ranking of No. 52 in the world even though he boasts a relatively modest seven ATP-level match victories in 2009. Last month he reached three consecutive Challenger finals, winning the last two (including one on clay). This surface is advantageous to Gulbis, but it may not be enough to overcome the vast expanse that is the separation between these two players’ current form.

Pick: Berankis in 3

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Mikhail Youzhny vs. (7) Steve Johnson

Johnson and Youzhny will also be facing each other for the first time in their careers on Monday. With the French Open draw ceremony coming up on Friday, time has run out on Johnson in an effort to snag a seed at the season’s second Grand Slam. Barring some unexpected withdrawals, the world No. 35 will just barely miss out on being seeded. The 26-year-old is just 5-11 for his 2016 campaign, which includes three straight losses in three clay-court events.

Not unlike Berankis, Youzhny dabbled into the Challenger world earlier this season to resurrect a lost game that had sent him tumbling well outside the top 100 by the end of 2015. To say the decision was a good one would be a gross understatement. The 33-year-old Russian won his first 17 matches of the season (three Challenger titles and two wins in Dubai qualifying), a big reason why he is now inside the top 80 at 77th in the world. As usual, however, Youzhny has cooled off on clay and he failed to emerge from qualifying in either Monte-Carlo or Madrid. As bad as Johnson is on the red stuff, Youzhny dislikes it to an even greater extent.

Pick: Johnson in 3

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