Mikhail Youzhny and Ivo Karlovic are set for a tough first-round matchup on Tuesday in Halle. Richard Gasquet and Robin Haase are also bidding for a place in the last 16.
(6) Mikhail Youzhny vs. Ivo Karlovic
Youzhny and Karlovic will be going head-to-head for the fourth time in their careers when they do battle in the first round of the Gerry Weber Open on Tuesday. All three of their previous encounters have gone Youzhny’s way, and their most recent showdown resulted in a typical Karlovic match. The 6’11” Croat actually won 10 more points than his opponent in the 2012 Zagreb quarterfinals, but it was Youzhny who scored a 7-6(10), 3-6, 7-6(6) victory.
Karlovic looks like he is poised to turn the tide right now. The world No. 33 is coming off a final in Dusseldorf and a third-round appearance at the French Open. He also finished runner-up on the indoor hard courts of Memphis. Youzhny is a dreadful 7-10 for his 2014 campaign. The 16th-ranked Russian played well against Rafael Nadal in the Rome third round, but he suffered a disappointing loss to Radek Stepanek in the last 64 at Roland Garros. Based on current form and the grass-court surface, Karlovic should have the edge in this one.
Pick: Karlovic in 3
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Robin Haase vs. (5) Richard Gasquet
Gasquet is certainly hoping for a more productive grass-court swing than what transpired on clay, a season in which the 14th-ranked Frenchman missed almost all of due to a back injury. He returned at Roland Garros–only because it is his most important event every year–and persevered to win two matches before getting blown out by Fernando Verdasco.
Up first for Gasquet in Halle on Tuesday is Haase, against whom he is 2-0 lifetime. They faced each other twice in 2012, when Gasquet prevailed 6-3, 6-3 at the London Olympics and 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 in Basel. Haase is just 9-15 for his 2014 campaign and he generally does his best work on clay, so he cannot be too confident heading into his first Wimbledon warmup tournament. At 100 percent, Gasquet on this surface should have no trouble with Haase. But there is, of course, plenty of concern surrounding the No. 5 seed.
Pick: Haase in 3
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