Metz previews and picks: Tsonga vs. Muller, Nieminen vs. Stakhovsky

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga will begin his quest for a third Metz title in the last four years when he takes the court on Wednesday against Gilles Muller. Jarkko Nieminen and Sergiy Stakhovsky are also in action.

(1) Jo-Wilfried Tsonga vs. Gilles Muller

Tsonga and Muller will be going head-to-head for the first time in their careers at the ATP level when they collide in the second round of the Moselle Open on Wednesday night. They have, however, faced each other twice on the Challenger circuit. Muller prevailed on hard courts in both 2005 and 2007, the latter via a 6-4, 7-5 decision in Besancon, France.

That result, of course, means nothing at this point and Tsonga is now a massive favorite–in both this match and for the title. The two-time Metz champion, who also finished runner-up last year, is ranked 11th in the world after recently capturing a title in Toronto. He is looking to bounce back from a fourth-round U.S. Open loss to Andy Murray. Muller has fared well in Challengers of late, but he dropped his opener in New York to Paul-Henri Mathieu. The 66th-ranked Luxembourgian kicked off his Metz campaign on Monday with a 6-1, 7-6(6) defeat of Edouard Roger-Vasselin. Muller is dangerous on indoor hard courts, but Tsonga is playing at home and past history suggests he loves this event.

Pick: Tsonga in 2

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Jarkko Nieminen vs. Sergiy Stakhovsky

Second-round action will begin with a sixth meeting between Nieminen and Stakhovsky on Wednesday. Nieminen is 2-1 in the head-to-head series at the ATP level and 4-1 against Stakhovsky overall. Their most recent encounter also came on an indoor hard court in France, where Nieminen pulled out a 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(2) victory last season in Montpellier. That is their only previous hard-court tussle, as four previous clashes came on clay.

Both veterans underwhelmed this summer. Stakhovsky went 0-3 during the U.S. Open Series (U.S. Open included) and won just a single set in three matches. The 90th-ranked Ukrainian beat Steve Darcis in Davis Cup competition last Friday but got blown out by David Goffin two days later. Nieminen reached the Winston-Salem third round before losing in the U.S. Open first round to Ivo Karlovic. The 33-year-old still registers at a decent 57th in the world. The surface slightly favors Stakhovsky, but current form indicates he would only have a chance in this one on grass. Nieminen is also more rested having not taken the court since New York.

Pick: Nieminen in 3

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