Veterans Feliciano Lopez and Benoit Paire will take the court on Thursday in Gstaad, where quarterfinal spots will be at stake. Lopez is going up against Mikael Ymer, while Paire is facing Tallon Griekspoor.
Mikael Ymer vs. (8) Feliciano Lopez
Lopez is lucky to find himself in round two of the Swiss Open Gstaad on Thursday. The 39-year-old Spaniard was on serve up 6-5 in the third set against Marc-Andrea Huesler on Monday when Huesler was forced to retire due to significant cramping. Lopez will take a win any way he can get it these days, as he is just 9-14 for the season and struggling down at No. 89 in the world.
Up next for Lopez is a first-ever meeting with Ymer, who overcame lucky loser Enzo Couacaud 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 in the opening round. The 96th-ranked Swede has been up and down in 2021, but he reached the third round of the Australian Open, the Miami Masters, and the French Open. Lopez really isn’t a factor on anything other than grass or a fast hard court at this point n his career, so Ymer should get the job done without too much trouble.
Pick: Ymer in 2
Tallon Griekspoor vs. (6) Benoit Paire
Paire and Griekspoor will also be going head-to-head for the first time in their careers on Thursday. Being in the second round of any event is a rare occurrence for Paire, who is saddled with a laughable 5-18 record this season as a result of both disinterest and poor play. The 49th-ranked Frenchman showed signs of life by beating Jozef Kovalik 6-3, 7-6(2) on Monday, but you never know which Paire is going to show up on any given day–and usually it’s the Paire who doesn’t care.
He will have to be motivated if he wants to get past Griekspoor, who is up to a career-high ranking of 105th. The 25-year-old Dutchman successfully qualified at Wimbledon, is coming off a Challenger title on the red clay of Amersfoort, and outlasted Juan Ignacio Londero in a third-set tiebreaker during first-round action in Gstaad. Paire can obviously never be trusted, and even if he plays well he would still probably lose to an in-form Griekspoor.
Pick: Griekspoor in 2
WWW?
Ymer in 3; Gpoor in 3.
Interesting; I think Paire has turned the corner and should win this. Griekspoor looks promising but he’s running into Paire at the wrong time.
Ymer in 3, Paire in 3.
Ymer is a big time choker.