A pair of intriguing first-round clashes are on the Thursday schedule in Madrid. Chris Skelton previews and picks Tommy Haas vs. Andreas Seppi and Janko Tipsarevic vs. Juan Monaco.
(13) Tommy Haas vs. Andreas Seppi
Just seven places in the rankings separate these two veterans, who oddly have met just twice on the ATP Tour. Both of those meetings came at the grass tournament in Halle, with each man winning once. While Seppi has honed a game better suited to clay, his traditional grinding may reap fewer rewards in Madrid than at other tournaments on the same surface. The altitude in the Spanish capital has often given an edge to players with greater offense, producing anomalous results even before its flirtation with blue clay a year ago.
The more offensively-oriented player of the two, Haas also brings greater momentum to this encounter after winning a tournament on home soil last week. Securing his 14th career title in Munich, the 35-year-old German continues to build upon his stunning run to the Miami semifinals this spring, where he defeated world No. 1 Novak Djokovic. For his part, Seppi has struggled to reproduce the form that carried him through the best season of his career in 2012. The Italian must defend Rome quarterfinal points and Roland Garros fourth-round points over the coming weeks, but he dropped his openers in both Monte-Carlo and Bucharest. Handed a more promising draw in Portugal last week, Seppi showed signs of life with a modest quarterfinal showing.
This match will feature an entertaining contrast of styles with Haas winning free points from his serve and venturing into the forecourt when he moves his opponent out of position. An average server at best, Seppi prefers to dig into the trenches behind the baseline, closing off angles and extending the rallies while looking for chances to deploy his inside-out forehand. A clash of grace with functionality emerges from their contrasting backhands, the German’s florid one-handed flick and the Italian’s streamlined two-hander.
Pick: Haas in three
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(9) Janko Tipsarevic vs. Juan Monaco
Slumping miserably for most of the season, Tipsarevic and Monaco (both the second-ranked players in their respective countries) look to turn a new leaf here. Tipsarevic, who still clings to his perch in the Top 10, must defend semifinal points from last year’s performance on the blue clay. But that prospect probably lies beyond his reach considering that he has won two or more matches at only one tournament since the Australian Open. As the top seed in Bucharest and Munich, Tipsarevic fell to an unseeded opponent at the former and to a qualifier at the latter. His risky tactics of redirecting groundstrokes down the lines over the high part of the net and attempting low-percentage serves need confidence to succeed, and it is a confidence that has crumbled recently.
Monaco’s confidence also took a hit early this year as he failed to win a match outside of Davis Cup until Houston in April. A return to clay has invigorated his form somewhat and injuries that have troubled him since last fall appear to have receded. In Monte-Carlo, Monaco even won a set from eventual champion Djokovic, although he faded sharply in that match and in a three-set loss to John Isner in Houston after winning the first set in both encounters. More naturally suited to clay than Tipsarevic, the Argentine showcases his patient, high-percentage game to an advantage on this surface.
These two men played to final set in both of their 2012 meetings, which Tipsarevic claimed after weathering mid-match surges from Monaco. One of those came on the clay of Stuttgart and thus bears particular relevance to this meeting. Still, Monaco defeated Tipsarevic comfortably in Hamburg the previous year, their only other clay encounter. If the Serb can sustain his best tennis better than he has for most of 2013, his week in Madrid should continue. Since he has struggled for so long, however, the more consistent man with the more accomplished red-clay resume seems the safer choice.
Pick: Monaco in 3
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