Memphis first round: (1) Marin Cilic vs. Ivan Dodig
It will be an all-Croatian affair when occasional doubles partners Marin Cilic and Ivan Dodig go head-to-head in the first round of the U.S. National Indoor Championships on Monday afternoon. Their only previous ATP main-draw encounter also came on indoor hard courts last fall in Valencia, where Dodig prevailed 6-3, 7-6(6).
Cilic took a little while to heat up this season, but–as always–he rounded into form at home in Zagreb. The world No. 12 (as of Sunday) captured his third Zagreb title to improve his 2013 record to 9-2. Dodig is a modest 4-5 for the year. The world No. 63 did well to reach the third round of the Australian Open, but he lost both of his Davis Cup rubbers and fell to Mikhail Youzhny in the Zagreb quarterfinals. The underdog’s game, which features aggressive baseline play and a surprisingly strong serve, works well on indoor hard courts. Cilic, however, is often at his best on this surface–which is bad news for Dodig.
Pick: Cilic in 2
Marseille first round: (8) Martin Klizan vs. Bernard Tomic
Klizan and Tomic are both considered up-and-coming players by just about everyone in the tennis world. But only one is a big name, while the other is only known in the hardest of hardcore tennis circles. Interestingly enough, it’s the unknown one with the stellar ranking. Klizan reached the fourth round of the U.S. Open last summer then captured his first ATP title in St. Petersburg. Although his 2013 results have not been good, the Slovak still registers at No. 31 in the world.
Tomic is 18 spots below his career-high ranking at No. 45 in the world. The 20-year-old Aussie, however, is rediscovering his game and his motivation in 2013. He won the Sydney title and reached the third round of the Australian Open before losing his Rotterdam opener last week to fellow talented youngster Grigor Dimitrov. Based on current form and the face that Klizan had a grueling Rotterdam quarterfinal against Gilles Simon (from which Klizan retired), Tomic has the edge.
Pick: Tomic in 2
Marseille first round: (7) Jerzy Janowicz vs. Lukas Rosol
Janowicz and Rosol will also be going head-to-head at the ATP level for the first time in their careers. They have, however, faced each other in Futures and Challengers. The head-to-head series is tied up at one win apiece, with Janowicz prevailing on an indoor hard court in 2009 before Rosol won a clay-court clash in 2011.
Both players, of course, are much different now. Janowicz reached the Paris final last fall and made it to the third round of this year’s Australian Open. Rosol, of course, stunned Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon and won the longest Davis Cup match in history last month (with Tomas Berdych in doubles). Both men are still relatively unproven, but Janowicz has just a few more noteworthy results and he should power his way through this ball-bashing affair.
Pick: Janowicz in 3
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