Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Grigor Dimitrov will contest their first-round matches in Madrid on Tuesday. Tsonga is going up against Lukas Rosol, while Dimitrov is facing Donald Young.
(12) Jo-Wilfried Tsonga vs. Lukas Rosol
Tsonga and Rosol will be going head-to-head for the third time in their careers when they meet again in round one of the Mutua Madrid Open on Tuesday. Both of their previous encounters have gone Tsonga’s way; 6-3, 6-4 on the hard courts of Dubai in 2012 and 6-2, 6-2, 6-3 on the clay of France in a 2014 Davis Cup showdown.
Rosol, though, is playing some of the best tennis of his career in his late-20s (29 now). The 42nd-ranked Czech is coming off consecutive quarterfinal appearances in Bucharest and Munich and three of his four career ATP finals (including one of his two titles) have come on clay within the last 25 months. Tsonga, on the other hand, has struggled with an arm injury since the start of 2015. The 14th-ranked Frenchman is just 3-3 on the season after getting blown out in Barcelona by Marcel Granollers. Rosol should be able to take advantage of both the surface and a rusty opponent.
Pick: Rosol in 3
[polldaddy poll=8845244]
(10) Grigor Dimitrov vs. Donald Young
Dimitrov and Young will be squaring off for the fifth time in their careers at the ATP level and for the sixth time overall when they clash during first-round action on Tuesday. They faced each other for the first time since 2012 at last year’s Toronto Masters, where Dimitrov improved his record in the head-to-head series to 3-1 (3-2 including Challengers) by prevailing 4-6, 6-2, 6-3. Young last beat the Bulgarian 7-6(4), 4-6, 7-6(6) on the indoor hard courts of Memphis three years ago. They have collided only once on clay, with Dimitrov getting the job done 7-6(3), 6-1, 6-1 at the 2012 French Open.
In the midst of lackluster play (some would even call it a borderline slump), Dimitrov said he was starting over his season last week in Istanbul. Instead, the world No. 11 lost to Pablo Cuevas 6-2, 6-4 in the semifinals and is now 14-8 for his 2015 campaign. Young caught fire in February and early March but cooled off just a bit in Miami and Houston. This is the 51st-ranked American’s first European event of the season. It may not go well for him on a surface he does not particularly enjoy.
Pick: Dimitrov in 2
[polldaddy poll=8845246]
For a change Dummy to beat Young easily and Tsonga over Rosol.
Tsonga in two losing 8 games or less.
Another game for Milos!!!
3-4 over Pico. Has a great chance to make semis.
Milos lost a total of 10 points in 10 service games.
great pick on the part of myself
where?