Stan Wawrinka will continue his week in Monte-Carlo when he takes the court against Marco Cecchinato on Tuesday. Following a first-round bye, Marin Cilic may have a tough opener on his hands facing familiar foe Guido Pella.
Stan Wawrinka vs. (11) Marco Cecchinato
Wawrinka and Cecchinato will be going head-to-head for the first time in their careers when they collide in round two of the Monte-Carlo Masters on Tuesday. It is no surprise that they have never faced each other, as Wawrinka’s injury-related absence from the tour mostly coincided with Cecchinato’s rapid rise. Both, however, are in business right now. Wawrinka is back up to No. 36 in the world thanks in part to 12 match wins already in 2019–including a runner-up performance in Rotterdam. The 34-year-old Swiss kicked off his Monte-Carlo campaign by disposing of Lucas Pouille 7-5, 6-3 on Sunday.
Cecchinato enjoyed his breakout on tour right around this time last season, capturing his first career title in Bucharest as a qualifier before making an incredible run to the French Open semifinals. It has been full steam ahead for the 16th-ranked Italian, who has been winning plenty of matches even on hard courts. But this is a difficult test for Cecchinato, as Wawrinka is in fine form and a former champion of this tournament (2014).
Pick: Wawrinka in 3
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(7) Marin Cilic vs. Guido Pella
Cilic basically had home-court advantage the last time he went up against Pella. No, they were not playing in Croatia. But they were playing on the green grass of Wimbledon, where Cilic was the 2017 runner-up. A massive favorite during second-round action at the All-England Club last summer, the current world No. 11 led two sets to love only to collapse en route to a stunning 3-6, 1-6, 6-4, 7-6(3), 7-5 defeat. The overall head-to-head series is tied at one win apiece, with Cilic having prevailed 6-3, 7-6(3), 7-6(3) at the 2015 U.S. Open.
A move from grass to clay is much more advantageous for Pella, who has reached all five of his ATP finals on this surface (including his first title earlier this year in Sao Paulo). The 35th-ranked Argentine remained in stellar form with a 6-7(2), 6-2, 6-4 victory over a confident Laslo Djere in the Monte-Carlo opening round. Cilic, who earned a bye as the seventh seed, is just 4-4 in 2019 and 1-4 in his last five matches. This is a great opportunity for Pella to pull off another upset.
Pick: Pella in 3
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WYG?
Pella an obvious pick, once he got past Djere.
Bizarre loss by Stan