Jo-Wilfried Tsonga will kick off his Madrid campaign on Wednesday against Robin Haase. Stanislas Wawrinka and Santiago Giraldo are also looking for a place in the third round.
(Q) Robin Haase vs. (7) Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
Tsonga and Haase will be squaring off for the first time in their careers when they clash in round two of the Mutua Madrid Open on Wednesday. Haase is coming off an impressive 6-3, 6-7(6), 6-2 win over Alexandr Dolgopolov on Monday. The 77th-ranked Dutchman improved his 2013 record to 9-12 with the victory and continued a decent run on clay following a disastrous hard-court stretch in late February and throughout March. Haase reached the Casablanca quarterfinals and he qualified last week in Oeiras before advancing one round.
Tsonga did not do too much in Indian Wells and Monte-Carlo, getting blown out by Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals of the former and falling to Marin Cilic in the fourth round of the latter. The eighth-ranked Frenchman, however, is off to a solid start on the slow stuff. He won a pair of crucial Davis Cup singles rubbers against Argentina before making his way to the Monte-Carlo quarterfinals (lost to Rafael Nadal). Although he is by no means at his best on clay, Tsonga has been a proven winner on the surface in the past–especially with some of his results at Roland Garros. You have to like the chances for Madrid’s No. 7 seed to get past Haase.
Pick: Tsonga in 2
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(Q) Santiago Giraldo vs. (15) Stanislas Wawrinka
Wawrinka and Giraldo will also be going head-to-head for the first time in their careers on Wednesday. It has already been a stellar week for Giraldo, who qualified for the main draw then disposed of Martin Klizan 6-2, 6-4 in round one. The 81st-ranked Colombian won a Challenger title to kick off his clay-court swing, but he lost early in Bucharest and failed to qualify for Munich. Giraldo owns an 8-9 ATP-level record for the season.
Coming off his fourth career ATP title in Oeiras, Wawrinka maintained his fine form on Tuesday by dismissing wild card Marius Copil 6-4, 6-4. The 15th-ranked Swiss boasts a 21-8 record for the year, which also includes a recent semifinal showing in Casablanca and a quarterfinal finish in Monte-Carlo. While Wawrinka is an all-court player, clay is arguably his best surface. The same goes for Giraldo, but with the favorite in this kind of form there is no reason to anticipate an upset.
Pick: Wawrinka in 2
Pick: Wawrinka in 2
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