Second-round action in Marseille continues on Thursday with seeds Juan Martin Del Potro, Jerzy Janowicz, and Janko Tipsarevic taking the court. Julien Benneteau, meanwhile, is still in search of his first ATP title.
Michael Llodra vs. (2) Juan Martin Del Potro
Llodra and Del Potro will be squaring off for the sixth time in their careers when they collide in round two of the Open 13 on Thursday. Del Potro is leading the head-to-head series 4-1, although two of his victories have come on clay–a surface that prevents Lloda from executing his traditional game-plan. The Argentine has won two of their three indoor hard-court encounters, but Llodra prevailed most recently 6-4, 6-3 at last fall’s Paris Masters.
Llodra again has home-court advantage once again in Marseille. The 32-year-old Frenchman is a solid 5-2 for the season after rolling over David Goffin 6-2, 6-4 in the first round. Del Potro is coming off a title in Rotterdam. This week’s second seed will have had three days off, but it’s still a quick turnaround. This matchup has serious upset potential.
Pick: Llodra in 3
Julien Benneteau vs. (7) Jerzy Janowicz
“HOW MANY TIMES” have Benneteau and Janowicz faced each other? Zero, to be exact. Their first-ever meeting should be a good one with both players in stellar form. Benneteau reached the Rotterdam final last weekend, but he fell to 0-8 lifetime in ATP title matches after going down to Del Potro. The 31-year-old Frenchman bounced back to dismiss wild card Lucas Pouille 7-6(0), 6-3 on Wednesday and improve his impressive 2013 record to 11-5.
Janowicz is back on indoor hard courts in France after making a stunning run to the Paris final last fall. The 26th-ranked Pole has not been quite as on fire this year, but he is a decent 5-3 for the season after taking care of Lukas Rosol 6-2, 6-4 on Monday. If Janowicz puts in a ton of first serves he will have a chance of prevailing, but at this point Benneteau has a far more polished all-around game. Benneteau’s current form and the crowd should help see him through to the quarterfinals.
Pick: Benneteau in 3
(4) Janko Tipsarevic vs. (Q) Dmitry Tursunov
Tipsarevic and Tursunov have battled on five previous occasions at the ATP level heading into Wednesday’s showdown. The head-to-head series stands at 3-2 in Tipsarevic’s favor after the Serb advanced 5-7, 7-6(12), 6-3, 6-4 at last season’s Australian Open.
Tursunov has been dealing with injuries for several years running now, but he has already fared well in Marseille with three qualifying wins and a 7-5, 6-3 triumph over Edouard Roger-Vasselin on Wednesday. Tipsarevic has not won a match since consecutive five-set victories in the second and third rounds of the Aussie Open. He lost his Montepellier opener earlier this month to Llodra. The No. 4 seed is short on matches but this is a big step up in competition for Tursunov, who has generally been stuck in qualification or Challengers.
Pick: Tipsarevic in 2
Leave a Reply