Rafael Nadal and David Ferrer are one round away from a potential all-Spanish quarterfinal clash in Monte-Carlo. They first have to get past Andreas Seppi and Grigor Dimitrov, respectively, on Thursday.
(1) Rafael Nadal vs. Andreas Seppi
According to the top-rated sportsbook at MyTopSportsbooks.com, Nadal is an overwhelming -1000 favorite to beat Seppi 2-0 in sets on Thursday afternoon during third-round action at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters. And why not? The head-to-head series stands at 4-1 in Nadal’s favor, with Seppi’s lone win coming via a 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 decision on the indoor hard courts of Rotterdam in 2008. On clay, however, it has mostly been one-way traffic. Nadal is 3-0 on the surface against the Italian and 8-1 in total sets, surrendering just one back in 2005 during Davis Cup action on the road in Italy. These two competitors have not faced each other since the summer of 2009 in Cincinnati, where Nadal survived 7-6(4), 7-6(3).
It has already been a stellar week for Seppi, who took out Mikhail Youzhny and Pablo Andujar to reach this stage of the tournament while delivering an amazing tweener against Youzhny. The world No. 35, though, is still just 7-9 this season. Nadal improved to 22-2 for his 2014 campaign after defeating Teymuraz Gabashvili 6-4, 6-1 on Wednesday. The top-ranked Spaniard started slow, trailing by a break in the first set–and he even had to save break points to prevent going down two breaks–before finding his range. Nadal, an eight-time champion of this event, should come out in far more comfortable fashion and refuse to give Seppi any openings.
Pick: Nadal in 2 losing 3-4 games
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(12) Grigor Dimitrov vs. (6) David Ferrer
Not unlike the past history in Nadal vs. Seppi, Dimitrov’s one victory over Ferrer in multiple tries came on an indoor hard court. The Bulgarian prevailed 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 in last fall’s Stockholm title match but he still trails the head-to-head series 3-1. Ferrer has gotten the job done twice on outdoor hard courts and once on clay. They faced each other on the slow stuff in the 2012 Bastad semifinals, with the Spaniard coming out on top 6-3, 7-5.
Ferrer may be slowing down just a bit at 32 years old, but he is still sixth in the world and he is 20-6 for the season after blowing out Jeremy Chardy 6-3, 6-0 on Tuesday. The No. 6 seed is looking for his second clay-court title in 2014, having previously lifted the winner’s trophy in Buenos Aires. Dimitrov has advanced to the last 16 with three-set scalps of Marcel Granollers and Albert Ramos. The 14th-ranked Bulgarian is an impressive 16-5 for the year, but this third Spaniard in succession for Dimitrov may not be as generous as the first two. If the underdog is at all fatigued, Ferrer will jump all over him–especially on clay.
Pick: Ferrer in 2
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