No. 1 seed John Isner will kick off his Houston campaign with an all-American affair against Denis Kudla on Wednesday. Second-seeded Benoit Paire faces what should be a difficult opener with Juan Monaco on the other side of the net.
(1) John Isner vs. Denis Kudla
Isner and Kudla will be going head-to-head for the second time in their careers when they meet again in round two of the U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship on Wednesday. Their only previous encounter came last summer in the Atlanta semifinals, with Isner surviving 4-6, 6-2, 7-5. The 6’10” American will be eager to avoid a third-set tiebreaker, just as he barely managed to do the last time against Kudla. He is 0-4 in decisive ‘breakers this season, with three such losses from match point up and another from a mini-break up (against Tim Smyczek in Miami).
Whereas Isner enjoyed an opening-round bye as the top seed in Houston, Kudla–speaking of third-set tiebreakers–won a thriller on Monday. The world No. 59 scraped past qualifier Mischa Zverev 3-6, 7-6(2), 7-6(2) in two hours and 31 minutes. Kudla is a decent 6-7 at the ATP level this season. Isner is a bit of a question mark right now due to some minor physical ailments and in the midst of his recent split from coach Justin Gimelstob. Although both men prefer hard courts, Isner is more comfortable than his countryman on clay and his serve should ultimately be too big for Kudla.
Pick: Isner in 2
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Juan Monaco vs. (2) Benoit Paire
Paire and Monaco will be squaring off for the fourth time in their careers and for the fourth time on clay. Monaco is leading the head-to-head series 2-1, having defeated the Frenchman on two straight occasions. Paire prevailed 7-6(4), 1-6, 6-4 at the 2013 Rome Masters before Monaco won 6-3, 2-6, 6-2 a few months later in Hamburg and then 6-4, 6-2 last spring in Nice.
The Argentine is slowly making his way back from a serious wrist injury. Ranked No. 148 in the world mostly because of inactivity, Monaco picked up his third victory of 2016 by holding off Gerald Melzer 6-2, 6-7(3), 6-4 on Monday. Paire has been a disaster since reaching the Chennai semifinals to begin the year, but he at least managed to win one match in Miami (beat Mikhail Youzhny before falling to Richard Gasquet). The No. 2 seed can be somewhat encouraged by the fact that his only ATP title has come on the slow stuff (Bastad in 2015), and Monaco’s result against Melzer was not particularly encouraging for the unseeded veteran.
Pick: Paire in 3
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Monaco in straights and Isner in straights. If paire plays well though then the result can switch around. Also I could see Isner losing a set and in that case I’m not so sure for john there considering his recent losses in three sets that have just seemed to pile up recently.
Paire if he’s “on”, Monaco, if he’s not. Isner needs a win, but still unsure about elbow and knee. Didn’t see the elbow taped in Miami, so maybe that’s better, but the knee was bad. Would love to see him win!
Monaco desperately needs ranking points making his way back from the injury while Paire’s current form is a big question mark. Remember his recent match in Miami v Gasquet?
Our pick – Monaco in straight sets.
i was there
it was horrific
Isner has lost some tough ones lately, but he’ll take care of Kudla in straight….and Mco in 3.