Following first-round byes, John Isner and Marin Cilic will kick off their Geneva campaigns on Wednesday. They are set for respective meetings with Lukas Rosol and Ernests Gulbis.
(4) John Isner vs. Lukas Rosol
Isner and Rosol will be going head-to-head for the first time in their careers when they collide in round two of the Geneva Open on Wednesday afternoon. This marks Isner’s first appearance since Houston in early April, because he has been sidelined with both a knee injury and a general aversion to the European clay-court swing. That is not to say, however, that the 6’10” American is hopeless on the red stuff. He once beat Roger Federer in a Davis Cup rubber on the clay courts of Switzerland, pushed Rafael Nadal to five sets at the French Open, and captured a title three years ago in Houston.
Rosol advanced to the last 16 in Geneva by defeating Spanish qualifier Roberto Ortega-Olmedo on Monday. The 68th-ranked Czech is a mediocre 10-12 at the ATP level this year, including 2-3 on clay. He went back to the Challenger circuit earlier this month and suffered consecutive straight-set losses to Elias Ymer. Rosol has a lot more matches under his belt than his opponent so this one should be competitive, but Isner will likely win more free points on serve and eventually capitalize on a slumping Rosol.
Pick: Isner in 3
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Ernests Gulbis vs. (3) Marin Cilic
Cilic and Gulbis will be squaring off for the third time in their careers at the ATP level when they battle for a place in the Geneva quarterfinals. An indoor hard-court encounter went Cilic’s way at the 2007 St. Petersburg event before Gulbis prevailed 6-3, 6-4 two years ago on the clay courts of Madrid. The slow stuff has always been conducive to Gulbis’ game and he even made a run to the French Open semifinals in 2014. As bad as the 76th-ranked Latvian has been this season, he is starting to show signs of life on clay. He qualified last week in Rome and advanced to the second round before falling to eventual semifinalist Lucas Pouille 7-5 in the third set.
Like Isner, Cilic’s 2016 campaign has also been plagued by a knee injury. The 11th-ranked Croat last played in Miami and his record stands at just 13-9 on the year. He has won more than two matches at just two tournaments this season–most recently en route to the Indian Wells quarterfinals. In his current state, a rusty Cilic would much rather contest this one on grass or a fast hard court in order to keep rallies as short as possible. On what is arguably Gulbis’ favorite surface, the No. 3 seed may soon be out of Geneva and on the way to Roland Garros.
Pick: Gulbis in 3
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