A jam-packed Tuesday in Marseille features Frenchmen Gael Monfils and Michael Llodra. Jarkko Nieminen, Ernests Gulbis, Marcel Granollers, and David Goffin are also in action.
Jarkko Nieminen vs. (WC) Ernests Gulbis
Nieminen and Gulbis will be going head-to-head for the third time in their careers when they collide in round one of the Open 13 on Tuesday. Gulbis has won both of their previous encounters; 7-6(7), 6-2 at the 2008 Cincinnati Masters and 6-4, 6-4 en route to the 2010 Delray Beach title.
A big edge in current form, however, goes to Nieminen. The veteran Finn already owns nine match victories this season and he is coming off a quarterfinal showing in Rotterdam. Gulbis showed signs of life by qualifying in Rotterdam and reaching the second round, but in general it has been a nonstop slump for the mercurial Latvia. Nieminen should have way too much consistency in this one.
Pick: Nieminen in 2
(WC) Gael Monfils vs. Marcel Granollers
This will be the third meeting between Monfils and Granollers on an indoor hard court and their first outside of Valencia. Monfils prevailed 6-4, 6-2 in 2009 before Granollers exacted some revenge with a 7-6(12), 3-6, 6-4 two years later. The Spaniard is a considerable favorite for this one on paper at No. 35 in the world, but he has been more accomplished in doubles of late and he is just 3-4 for the season in singles.
Monfils is on the road to recovery from serious knee issues and he is playing tennis at an alarming rate–five tournaments already in 2013. The Frenchman has eight match victories which is poor by his previous standards but has to be considered a decent number for the current Monfils. The world No. 106 will have the crowd behind him and should have a slight edge on this indoor surface.
Pick: Monfils in 3
Michael Llodra vs. David Goffin
Goffin suffered a crushing Davis Cup defeat to Viktor Troicki earlier this month in which the Belgian led by two sets and even served for the match in the third. He showed absolutely no signs of recovering anytime soon when he took the court in Rotterdam, where he was humiliated by Nieminen 6-0, 6-0. Goffin is a horrendous 2-5 for his 2013 campaign.
A first-ever matchup against Llodra probably isn’t a recipe for ending the slump. The Frenchman’s return game is nowhere near good enough to serve anything close to the double-bagel that Nieminen delivered, but he is extremely dangerous on indoor hard courts. Goffin may not be able to break Llodra even once, and that is bad news for a diminutive player who often has a tough time holding his own serve.
Pick: Llodra in 2
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