Rogers Cup first round
(15) Marin Cilic vs. Denis Istomin: Cilic leads the head-to-head series 4-1 and all five of their previous encounters have come on hard courts. These two are extremely similar in style, but Cilic is just a little bit better in almost every department. Cilic in 3.
Lleyton Hewitt vs. Julien Benneteau: Benneteau lost his opening match in Washington, D.C. in routine straight sets to Donald Young. Hewitt is playing well and is generally on top of his game on North American hard courts. Hewitt in 2.
Ivan Dodig vs. (10) John Isner: The Rogers Cup was Isner’s only real disappointing summer hard-court result in 2013, but he was coming off a final appearance in Washington, D.C. This time-around he is well-rested after losing his tournament opener. Isner in 2.
Edouard Roger-Vasselin vs. (13) Jo-Wilfried Tsonga: Tsonga has been idle since Wimbledon, but perhaps he is rejuvenated instead of rusty. The guy needed a break after some dismal spring and summer results. The fact that he is 6-0 lifetime against his fellow Frenchman should help. Tsonga in 2.
(WC) Peter Polansky vs. Jerzy Janowicz: Janowicz is borderline hopeless these days, but he cannot ask for a better first-round draw than a date with a Canadian wild card. Unless the Pole serves terribly, which is possible, he should have way too much game for Polansky. Janowicz in 2.
Jeremy Chardy vs. Federico Delbonis: The outcome of this matchup is determined almost exclusively by the surface. Delbonis would be the favorite on clay, but all signs point toward Chardy steamrolling the Argentine on a hard court. Chardy in 2.
Kevin Anderson vs. (Q) Thanasi Kokkinakis: Kokkinakis was gifted a main-draw spot by fellow Aussie Marinko Matosevic, who retired from their final-round qualifying match despite having won the first set. Anderson, always a force on hard courts, will not be so generous. Anderson in 2.
Ivo Karlovic vs. (Q) Bernard Tomic: They just faced each other in the Bogota final, which Tomic took in thrilling 7-6(5), 3-6, 7-6(4) fashion. Karlovic played two more third-set tiebreakers in Washington, D.C., beating Benoit Paire before losing to Steve Johnson. Karlovic in 3.
(14) Roberto Bautista Agut vs. Feliciano Lopez: Bautista Agut would rather contest this one on clay, but he is not necessarily at his best on the slow stuff. He captured a title on the grass courts of ‘s-Hertogenbosch, so he knows how to get the job done on faster surfaces. Bautista Agut in 2.
(Q) Benoit Paire vs. Alejandro Falla: Paire is not winning many matches, but he is at least starting to play decent tennis again. Perhaps 100 percent physically and possibly motivated for some success prior to the U.S. Open, Paire should have an edge over Falla on a hard court. Paire in 3.
Nicolas Mahut vs. (Q) Michael Russell: Russell is 0-9 lifetime in the main draw of the U.S. Open. Is he already thinking about that? Maybe, because at 36 years old this could be his last chance to get a win. Well, with three weeks to go he probably is not yet thinking about it. Still, Mahut should have the advantage on a relatively fast surface. Mahut in 3.
(Q) Tim Smyczek vs. (Q) Tobias Kamke: Smyczek has plenty of hard-court matches under his belt, having earned one victory in Atlanta before reaching the third round in Washington, D.C. Kamke was in Europe on clay before dropping his Washington, D.C. opener to Victor Estrella Burgos. Smyczek in 3.
Guillermo Garcia-Lopez vs. (LL) Marinko Matosevic: Knowing he already had a spot in the main draw due to Kei Nishikori’s withdrawal, Matosevic called it quits after winning the first set against Kokkinakis. It may cause some controversy, but Mad Dog has never cared about controversy. Matosevic in 3.
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Not a bad set of picks, though I reckon Lopez will steal a set from Bautista Agut. I’ll go Kamke in three over Smyczek but other than that all the same.
Some fun match-ups….I like Ivo, Falla, and Hewitt.