Roger Federer will be back in action when he goes up against Benoit Paire in the Halle second round on Thursday. A quarterfinal spot will also be at stake when Germany’s own Philipp Kohlschreiber faces Matthew Ebden.
(1) Roger Federer vs. Benoit Paire
Federer and Paire will be going head-to-head for the sixth time in their careers when they clash in round two of the Gerry Weber Open on Thursday. All five of their previous meetings have gone the way of Federer, who is 11-0 in total sets against the Frenchman, has been pushed to a tiebreaker only once, and has won six of their 11 contested sets by 6-2 or worse. They faced each other twice in 2017, when the Swiss prevailed 6-1, 6-3 in Dubai and by the exact same score in Basel.
There is no reason to think the grass courts of Halle will help Paire turn things around. After all, Federer is 60-6 lifetime at this event (53-3 in his last 56 matches) and has lifted the winner’s trophy on nine occasions. The 36-year-old is coming off a triumph in Stuttgart and he made routine 6-3, 6-4 work of Aljaz Bedene on Tuesday. Paire earned another shot at Federer by beating Steve Johnson 7-5, 7-6(5) in his Halle opener. The world No. 48 is a mediocre 17-14 for the season and 2-1 on grass following a second-round performance in Stuttgart (defeated Taylor Fritz, lost to Tomas Berdych). Like it is for many players, this is an awful matchup for Paire because Federer will play on top of the baseline, take balls early, and keep the underdog off balance while exploiting his vulnerable forehand.
Pick: Federer in 2 losing 5-7 games
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(SE) Matthew Ebden vs. (6) Philipp Kohlschreiber
Kohlschreiber is also a Halle master–albeit not to the extent of Federer. The 24th-ranked German has treated the home crowd to one title, one runner-up showing (to Federer), and quarterfinal results or better on eight other occasions. He may have needed a bit of help, however, on Tuesday when he was locked a tight battle with Marton Fucsovics before getting a third-set retirement from the Hungarian (Kohlschrieber was leading 4-6, 6-3, 2-1 at the time).
Up next for the 34-year-old on Thursday is a second career encounter with Ebden, who lost their only previous showdown 6-4, 6-4, 7-6(4) at the 2012 French Open. The 30-year-old Australian is currently in the midst of a best-ever season on tour, with eight ATP-level match victories, plenty of Challenger success, and a career-high ranking of No. 60 in the world. Always a force on grass, Ebden reached the Surbiton Challenger semifinals a qualifier, advanced to the ‘s-Hertogenbosch semis last week, and beat Malek Jaziri 6-0, 7-6(2) on Tuesday in Halle. Based on current form, an upset is not out of the question.
Pick: Ebden in 3
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