Monte-Carlo previews and predictions: Djokovic vs. Kohlschreiber, Tsonga vs. Fritz

World No. 1 Novak Djokovic kicks off his 2019 clay-court campaign against Philipp Kohlschreiber in round two of the Monte-Carlo Masters on Tuesday. Meanwhile, French veteran Jo-Wilfried Tsonga takes on Taylor Fritz in round one.

(1) Novak Djokovic vs. Philipp Kohlschreiber

This matchup is much more interesting now than it might have been even two months ago. Until the Indian Wells Masters, Novak Djokovic had beaten Tuesday opponent Philipp Kohlschreiber seven times in a row dating back to 2010. But in the California desert, the veteran came out of nowhere to dispatch Djokovic in routine straight sets.

Kohlschreiber matches up well against Djokovic on the dirt. Of their three previous clay-court matches, the German won the first and took a set in the other two. Given Djokovic’s shaky form in the last two tournaments, he may go into this one a bit more vulnerable than usual. The Serb, who won the Australian Open in impressive fashion over familiar rival Rafael Nadal, followed up his Indian Wells loss with another ouster at the hands of Roberto Bautista Agut.

Kohlschreiber endured a poor start to his clay season last week in Marrakech, losing in the second round to Pablo Andujar. He’ll have a little extra confidence against Djokovic, but the top seed is still a heavy favorite. Expect the underdog to get off to a fast start but for Djokovic to find his footing for the win.

Cheryl pick: Djokovic in 3

Ricky pick: Djokovic in 2

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(PR) Jo-Wilfried Tsonga vs. Taylor Fritz

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga seems to finally be on the comeback trail. He had a series of injuries in 2018 that kept him sidelined and saw his ranking dip outside the top 100. He currently sits at No. 102 in the world, but he had a good run to the semis in Marrakech last week. He’ll take on Taylor Fritz in the first round on Tuesday.

Fritz has endured a miserable string of first-round losses since he won the Newport Beach Challenger. He has lost four in a row, the most recent in Houston to world No. 112 Marcel Granollers. Given that he will be playing an in-form Tsonga in front of what is sure to be a highly partisan French crowd, the American has a tough task in front of him.

Cheryl pick: Tsonga in 2

Ricky pick: Tsonga in 2

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