Madrid R1 previews and picks: Isner vs. Mannarino, Fognini vs. Giraldo

John Isner and Adrian Mannarino will kick off their Madrid campaigns on Monday. Fabio Fognini and Santiago Giraldo are also looking for a place in the second round.

Adrian Mannarino vs. (16) John Isner

Isner and Mannarino will be squaring off for the fourth time in their careers when they collide in round one of the Mutua Madrid Open on Monday. Both of their completed encounters have gone Isner’s way; 7-6(5), 6-7(5), 6-3 on the indoor hard courts of Montpellier in 2010 and 6-0, 7-6(7) on the grass of Newport three years later. Mannarino advanced past Isner at Wimbledon in 2013, but that came via a retirement by the American just two games into the match.

Playing the best tennis of his career this season, Mannarino is up to No. 30 in the world thanks in part to a runner-up showing in Auckland and consecutive fourth-round appearances in Indian Wells and Miami. The Frenchman, however, is far less comfortable on clay and he got crushed right away in Monte-Carlo by Marcel Granollers. Isner’s first two months of the 2015 campaign were a disaster, but he reached the Miami semifinals and won two matches in Monte-Carlo. The 18th-ranked American should have way too much for Mannarino on this surface.

Pick: Isner in 2

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Fabio Fognini vs. Santiago Giraldo

Fognini has been just about hopeless against all opponents not named Rafael Nadal in 2015 as he tries to regain his form starting on Monday in Madrid. The world No. 29 Italian is 9-11 on the year following a blowout loss to Dominic Thiem in the Munich second round. Fognini has lost his opening match at five tournaments this season.

Up first for the mercurial Italian is a sixth career meeting with Giraldo, who leads the head-to-head series 3-2 at the ATP level. All five of their previous clashes have come on clay, with Giraldo most recently prevailing 7-6(4), 7-5 in Sao Paulo. The 50th-ranked Colombian qualified and made it to the Madrid second round in 2013 then went all the way to the quarterfinals as a qualifier last season, so he is quite comfortable at this event. Unless Fognini brings a much different mentality than what has been on display of late, this will be over in swift fashion.

Pick: Giraldo in 2 losing 5-7 games

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