Marrakech R2 previews and predictions: Dimitrov vs. Robredo, Kohlschreiber vs. Chardy

Grigor Dimitrov will look to maintain momentum from a successful start to the season on hard courts when he faces Tommy Robredo in his Marrakech opener on Thursday. Philipp Kohlschreiber and Jeremy Chardy are also aiming for a place in the second round.

(1) Grigor Dimitrov vs. (PR) Tommy Robredo

Dimitrov and Robredo will be facing each other for the fourth time in their careers when they clash in the second round of the Grand Prix Hassan II on Thursday. Robredo leads the head-to-head series 2-1, including 1-0 on clay (7-5, 6-1 at the 2013 Barcelona event). The veteran Spaniard also prevailed 6-4, 1-6, 7-5 at the 2015 Indian Wells Masters to avenge a 7-5, 5-7, 6-4 setback against Dimitrov at the 2014 Rogers Cup.

In the prime of his tennis life at 25 years old, Dimitrov is finally playing like he wants to contend for big titles and also earn a spot in the World Tour Finals. The Bulgarian is back up to No. 12 in the world thanks to a 17-4 record this season that includes titles in Brisbane and Sofia to go along with a semifinal showing at the Australian Open. Robredo is toiling down at No. 385 in the rankings due to both inactivity and poor results. The 34-year-old is 3-4 for his 2017 campaign and 2-2 on clay following a 6-4, 6-4 defeat of qualifier Sergiy Stakhovsky on Monday. Clay will at least give Robredo a shot in this one, but the discrepancy in current form and talent level should be too much to overcome for the underdog.

Pick: Dimitrov in 2

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(3) Philipp Kohlschreiber vs. Jeremy Chardy

Kohlschreiber and Chardy will also be squaring off for the fourth time in their careers with the head-to-head series at 2-1, this one in Chardy’s favor. The Frenchman got the job done 6-2, 6-4 in 2010 at the now-defunct World Team Championship in Dusseldorf (on red clay) and won 6-4, 6-3 on the indoor hard courts of Moscow one season later. Kohlschreiber most recently scored a 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 victory at the 2014 Cincinnati Masters.

At No. 32 in the world, Kohlschreiber did enough to earn a first-round bye in Marrakech as the third seed. As usual, the 33-year-old German has been his typically solid but unspectacular self in 2017. Kohlschreiber has no particularly big wins (he blew seven match points against Andy Murray in Dubai) but owns a respectable 10-7 record that includes third-round performances at the Australian Open, the Indian Wells Masters, and the Miami Masters. Chardy booked his spot in this matchup by scraping past Malek Jaziri 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 on Wednesday. The world No. 66 is also 10-7 this year and recently won two clay-court Davis Cup rubbers over Great Britain (one live, one dead). Kohlschreiber, who has one of the best returns of serve in the game, should be able to handle Chardy’s power in relatively slow conditions.

Pick: Kohlschreiber in 3

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