Marseille R2 previews and picks: Berdych vs. Zverev, Gasquet vs. Gulbis

Tomas Berdych and Richard Gasquet have potentially tough openers on their hands on Thursday in Marseille. Berdych is going up against an on-fire Alexander Zverev, while Gasquet is facing familiar foe Ernests Gulbis.

(WC) Alexander Zverev vs. (2) Tomas Berdych

Berdych and Zverev will be going head-to-head for the second time in their careers when they do battle in round two of the Open 13 on Thursday. They previously collided at the same stage of an indoor hard-court tournament last fall, when Berdych scored a 6-3, 6-4 victory in Stockholm. If 2015 was a breakout season for Zverev, he is playing even better now. The 18-year-old German already boasts six ATP-level match victories and registers at a career-high ranking of No. 56 in the world. On the heels of a semifinal showing in Montpellier and a quarterfinal finish in Rotterdam, Zverev opened on Tuesday in Marseille with a 7-6(4), 7-5 defeat of Julien Benneteau.

Off to typically solid but unspectacular start to the year, Berdych is suiting up for the first time since the Australian Open. A quarterfinal performance in Melbourne was preceded by a trip to the semis in Doha, where he lost to world No. 1 Novak Djokovic 7-6(3), 6-3. Berdych may be just a little bit rusty whereas Zverev is extremely match-tough at the moment, so this one should be both high-quality and competitive. But the second-seeded Czech has lifted five of his last six trophies at indoor events of either the 250 or 500-point variety. It’s safe to say he knows what he is doing at these kinds of tournaments.

Pick: Berdych in 3

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Ernests Gulbis vs. (3) Richard Gasquet

Gasquet and Gulbis will be squaring off for the fifth time in their careers and for the second time during this current indoor swing when they meet again on Thursday. They just faced each other in Montpellier, also in round-two action, with Gasquet cruising 6-4, 6-4 on his way to the winner’s trophy. That was the 10th-ranked Frenchman’s first match of the season, as he missed all of January because of a back injury. Gasquet is once again a question mark because even though he triumphed in Montpellier, he promptly withdrew from last week’s event in Rotterdam citing both illness and a groin problem.

Gulbis, who trails the head-to-head series against Gasquet 3-1, punched his ticket to the last 16 by outlasting Kenny De Schepper 6-4, 6-7(6), 7-6(2) on Tuesday. The 75th-ranked Latvian battled back from a break down in the third set to prevail after two hours and 13 minutes. Although Gulbis’ forehand continues to be an unmitigated disaster, he also advanced one round in Montpellier and successfully qualified in Rotterdam before succumbing to eventual runner-up Gael Monfils. The underdog is at least playing somewhat decent tennis at the moment, but Gasquet knows perfectly how to exploit his opponent’s weaker wing.

Pick: Gasquet in 2

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