Montpellier QF previews and predictions: Paire vs. Brown, Tsonga vs. Medvedev

Five Frenchmen are in the Montpellier quarterfinals and among those looking to go at least one step farther are Benoit Paire and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Paire is facing Dustin Brown on Friday, while Tsonga awaits Daniil Medvedev.

Dustin Brown vs. Benoit Paire

Paire and Brown will be going head-to-head for the third time in their careers and for the second time at the ATP level when they clash in the quarterfinals of the Open Sud de France on Friday. Both of their previous encounters have gone Brown’s way; 6-3, 4-6, 6-1 in a 2011 Futures event on clay and 7-6(4), 4-6, 6-1 on the grass courts of Stuttgart one year later.

Two of the most mercurial players on the ATP Tour, both have been focused and borderline dominant so far in Montellier. Paire earned his spot in the last eight by taking out Karen Khachanov and Feliciano Lopez in straight sets, generating 21 break points in the process. Brown has advanced with straight-set defeats of Guillermo Garcia-Lopez and No. 1 seed Marin Cilic, and he has not been broken a single time. What is sure to be an entertaining showdown, this one could set the unofficial record for most drop-shots in a best-of-three match. A slight edge may go to Brown, who has a better a chance of staying motivated and mentally strong for longer stretches than Paire.

Pick: Brown in 3

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Daniil Medvedev vs. (2) Jo-Wilfried Tsonga

Tsonga is off to a solid start this season with a quarterfinal finish in Doha and a run to the Australian Open quarters. Now on his home turf indoors in France, the world No. 14 is looking he wants to get past the last eight–perhaps way past. In his opener on Thursday, Tsonga crushed fellow Frenchman Pierre-Hugues Herbert 6-1, 6-2 in 44 minutes. Montpellier’s No. 2 seed did not face a single break point while winning 20 of 21 first-serve points.

Up next for Tsonga on Friday is a first-ever meeting with Medvedev. Although the 20-year-old Russian started to make a name for himself in 2016, this season is shaping up to be one of the real breakout variety. Medvedev, a runner-up in Chennai, already owns more than half of his career ATP-level match wins in 2016 (six of 11). He is through to the quarterfinals this week following straight-set defeats of Tobias Kamke and Fernando Verdasco. Tsonga, though, will not let Medvedev dictate play and the favorite will likely advance if he continues to dominate with his serve.

Pick: Tsonga in 2

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