Roger Federer will kick off his Gstaad campaign on Thursday against familiar foe Daniel Brands. Janko Tipsarevic and Robin Haase are also looking for a spot in the quarterfinals. Chris Skelton previews the action.
Roger Federer vs. Daniel Brands
Welcome to Part 2 of this home-and-home series between the Swiss superstar and the German journeyman. Despite his lowly status, Brands often has risen to the occasion against elite opponents. He took a set from Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros this spring, for example, and just last week he won a set from Federer at Hamburg in their only meeting to date.
Federer’s morale must languish at its lowest ebb in many months after he sustained two losses in two tournaments to opponents outside the Top 100. The upsets secured by Sergiy Stakhovsky and Federico Delbonis will have emboldened underdogs like Brands. And the relatively fast, slippery clay in the mountainous setting of Gstaad will not help a player searching for rhythm, as Federer is this week. Home-court advantage may boost his confidence, but he must serve more impressively than he did in Hamburg, where a back injury may have troubled him again.
But Federer will know what to expect from Brands this time. He should enter their rematch more on guard, aware of the massive serve and fearlessness of his opponent. Federer also may know what to expect from his own racket. Testing a larger, more powerful Wilson frame at Hamburg, he struggled at times with control. The additional time to practice with it should smoothen the transition as Federer looks to give his home fans something to cheer.
Skelton pick: Federer in 2
Dimon pick: Federer in 2
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Robin Haase vs. (3) Janko Tipsarevic
Like Federer and Brands, Haase and Tipsarevic have met only once before. Both men probably would rate clay as their least favorite surface, so they may battle the court as much as each other—and themselves.
Tipsarevic has watched his ranking plummet outside the Top 10 this year as he has suffered seven opening-round losses. Playing smaller tournaments like Gstaad usually helps top players emerge from slumps, but he has crashed out of such events just as ignominiously. The top seed at a 250 in Bogota last week, Tipsarevic lost his second match to unseeded Alejandro Falla. Now he faces a rapid transition from hard courts to clay, a strange decision considering his preference for hard courts and the additional travel involved.
Never a threat of Tipsarevic’s quality, Haase earned himself some attention this year of the dubious variety. He set the ATP record for consecutive tiebreaks lost, and he long has been one of the worst players in the Top 100 at closing out matches after he wins the first set. Staying in Europe after Wimbledon, Haase took the much more formidable Jerzy Janowicz to a final-set tiebreak in Hamburg (which, of course, he lost). One round before, though, he went to 7-5 in the third set against the anonymous Diego Sebastian Schwartzman. That pair of results shows how much Haase’s mind and game can fluctuate from one day to another.
Considering the generally unreliable form of both men all season, one can expect a match of modest quality in which both men struggle to capitalize on opportunities. Haase probably owns the superior serve, which may give him an edge at this altitude. But it’s nearly impossible to choose between two slumping, enigmatic competitors too fond of low-percentage tennis.
Skelton pick: Haase in 3
Dimon pick: Haase in 3
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