Veterans Mardy Fish and Tommy Haas will be back in action at the Indian Wells Masters on Tuesday. They are set for respective third-round meetings with Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Nicolas Almagro.
(32) Mardy Fish vs. (8) Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
Fish and Tsonga will be going head-to-head for the fourth time in their careers when they collide in the third round of the BNP Paribas Open on Tuesday. Tsonga has won all three of their previous encounters, including most recently last summer at Wimbledon via a 4-6, 7-6(4), 6-4, 6-4 decision. That came just before Fish halted his career at the U.S. Open due to health problems. The 31-year-old American is finally back on the court and he won his first match on Sunday, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 over countryman Bobby Reynolds.
Tsonga scored an entertaining, hard-fought win over James Blake in his Indian Wells opener. The Frenchman’s 7-6(6), 6-4 victory improved his 2013 record to 10-3, which includes a recent title in Marseille. Fish’s play so far this fortnight (in both singles and doubles) has been encouraging, but this is a big step up in competition for a rusty competitor.
Pick: Tsonga in 2
(11) Nicolas Almagro vs. (19) Tommy Haas
Almagro and Haas will be squaring off for the third time in their careers on Tuesday with a spot in the fourth round at stake. They just faced each other last fall at the Shanghai Masters, where Haas prevailed 4-6, 7-6(4), 6-2. Their other meeting came way back in 2005, when they German scored a 7-5, 6-3 victory at home on the clay courts of Munich.
Eight seasons later, Haas is still going strong at 34 years old. The world No. 19 improved his 2013 record to 9-4 by ousting Pablo Andujar 6-3, 7-6(0) on Sunday. Almagro is in similarly fine form, having compiled a 12-4 record this year. The 11th-ranked Spaniard dismissed countryman Daniel Gimeno-Traver 7-5, 6-1 in his Indian Wells opener. This will be a one-handed backhand clinic of the highest order, but a hard-court surface could make the difference for Haas even though it may not be quite as fast as he would like against this opponent. At the same time, Almagro is no pushover even when he has to venture away from clay. This could be the best match of the entire third round.
Pick: Haas in 3
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