Hamburg R2 previews and predictions: Simon vs. Kohlschreiber, Khachanov vs. Bedene

A quarterfinal spot will be up for grabs when struggling veterans Gilles Simon and Philipp Kohlschreiber square off in Hamburg on Thursday. Karen Khachanov and Aljaz Bedene are also in second-round action.

Philipp Kohlschreiber vs. (4) Gilles Simon

Simon and Kohlschreiber will be facing each other for the ninth time in their careers when they clash in round two of the German Tennis Championships on Thursday. The head-to-head series stands at 5-3 in favor of Simon, although 5-2 would be more accurate because one of Kohlschreiber’s wins came in a Davis Cup dead rubber two years ago. Kohlschreiber, however, took their only previous Hamburg encounter 7-5, 6-3 during second-round action in 2014.

The 58th-ranked German is a disappointing 18-15 this season, but his clay-court exploits at least include a runner-up performance in Marrakech. Unseeded in Hamburg, Kohlschreiber kicked off his campaign by crushing fatigued Umag champion Andrey Rublev 6-3, 6-1 on Tuesday. Simon booked his spot in the last 16 by scraping past German wild card Maximilian Marterer 6-2, 4-6, 6-4. The 39th-ranked Frenchman is still a dreadful 12-16 this year and has made only two quarterfinal appearances (Marseille in February and Lyon in May). Kohlschreiber has home-court advantage and a slight edge in current form, so he should be able to pick up another Hamburg victory over Simon.

Pick: Kohlschreiber in 3

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(3) Karen Khachanov vs. Aljaz Bedene

Khachanov is in the midst of his best season on tour, to the extent that he is top-four seed at a 500-point tournament–albeit arguably the weakest 500-pointer on the 2017 schedule. The 21-year-old is up to No. 32 in the world and he owns more than half of his career ATP-level match wins this season (20 of 37). Including one bye, Khachanov has advanced at least two rounds in five consecutive events–featuring a fourth-round performance at the French Open and semifinal showing in Halle.

Up next for Khachanov is a third head-to-head contest against Bedene. The Russian is sweeping the head-to-head series 2-0 and has earned both wins on clay, having prevailed 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(2) last spring in Barcelona and 6-4, 6-7(4), 6-4 shortly thereafter in Istanbul. Bedene, though, is also playing the best tennis of his life and registers one spot off his career-high ranking at 46th in the world. The Brit’s clay-court season is highlighted by two Challenger titles and a runner-up finish as a qualifier in Budapest. Although Bedene is rock solid, he does not have the same firepower as his opponent and clay may favor Khachanov because it gives him time to set up for his powerful forehand.

Pick: Khachanov in 3

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