Madrid R1 previews and predictions: Goffin vs. Pouille, Simon vs. Baghdatis

Fellow Frenchmen Gilles Simon and Lucas Pouille will be part of the first-round schedule on Monday in Madrid. They are are set for intriguing openers against Marcos Baghdatis and David Goffin, respectively.

(Q) Lucas Pouille vs. (12) David Goffin

Goffin and Pouille will be going head-to-head for the second time in their careers and for the second time this season when they clash in round one of the Mutua Madrid Open on Monday. Their only previous meeting came on the hard courts of Brisbane, where Pouille prevailed 7-6(5), 4-6, 6-3. Thus began the 22-year-old Frenchman’s best season on tour, with room to spare. Pouille owns 11 ATP-level match victories in 2016 after most recently finishing runner-up to Fernando Verdasco in Bucharest. The world No. 56 earned a spot in the main draw this week by beating Ernests Gulbis in two tiebreakers and Adrian Menendez-Maceiras in three sets.

Pouille took last week off to rest following his Bucharest performance, while Goffin suffered a disappointing loss to Alexander Zverev in the Munich quarterfinals. Still, it has been a stellar year for the 13th-ranked Belgian, who reached consecutive Masters 1000 semis in Indian Wells and Miami. Goffin’s previous clay-court Masters appearance featured a trio of matches against Spaniards (he beat Verdasco and Feliciano Lopez before falling to Marcel Granollers). This should be a high-quality contest, but Pouille’s qualifying scores against Gulbis and Menendez-Maceiras are not at all encouraging. A well-rested Goffin will likely have a slight edge.

Pick: Goffin in 3

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(16) Gilles Simon vs. Marcos Baghdatis

Simon and Baghdatis will be squaring off for the sixth time in their careers on Monday. The two veterans have not faced each other since early in 2013 and they have never met on clay. Baghdatis is leading the head-to-head series 3-2, having won three of their last four showdowns dating back to 2007.

Madrid has always been a special place for Simon, who enjoyed a breakout of sorts when he went on a memorable run to the 2008 final (the tournament was played on indoor hard courts at that point). At 31 years old, the Frenchman is still going strong at 18th in the rankings but he is just 13-10 for the season after falling to Pablo Carreno Busta in the Estoril quarterfinals. Also relatively averse to clay, Baghdatis reached the Houston quarters before losing his Bucharest opener to Marco Cecchinato in easy straight sets. The 30-year-old Cypriot is a similar 10-7 for his 2016 campaign. This could be tough for the underdog against an opponent who has never lost his opening match in six Madrid appearances, including five on clay.

Pick: Simon in 3

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