Montpellier will have a distinct French flavor during second-round action on Wednesday. Two showdowns between fellow countryman pit Richard Gasquet against Lucas Pouille and Gilles Simon against Edouard Roger-Vasselin.
(4) Richard Gasquet vs. (WC) Lucas Pouille
Gasquet and Pouille will be going head-to-head for the first time in their careers when they do battle in the second round of the Open Sud de France on Wednesday. It may be early, but this has all the makings of a breakout season for Pouille. The 20-year-old Frenchman is up to a career-high ranking of No. 115 in the world after reaching the Auckland semifinals as a qualifier. He lost in the Australian Open first round, but not before leading Gael Monfils two sets to love. Pouille advanced on Tuesday in Montpellier by beating Alexander Kudryavtsev 6-4, 7-6(4).
Gasquet’s 2015 campaign is off to a mediocre start. This week’s fourth seed made it to the quarterfinals in Doha (lost to Tomas Berdych) and the third round Down Under (lost to Kevin Anderson). Whether Gasquet is lacking any confidence or not, he should feel right at home in Montpellier. He is 16-6 lifetime at the event with two titles (2006, 2013). That experience is likely to help the favorite withstand an upset bid by his up-and-coming compatriot.
Pick: Gasquet in 2
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Edouard Roger-Vasselin vs. (2) Gilles Simon
Another all-French showdown between a first-round bye recipient and an unseeded opponent will see Simon go up against Roger-Vasselin. Simon’s injury problems have been extensive–albeit without any major ones–over the past few years and his season got off to an extremely inauspicious start when he hobbled through a 6-2, 6-2 loss to James Duckworth in the Brisbane first round. However, the world No. 19 has reason to be encouraged by his Australian Open. He dominated two matches then succumbed to David Ferrer in a tight four-setter.
Simon is 1-0 lifetime at Roger-Vasselin’s expense at the ATP level (4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 7-6(3) at Wimbledon in 2011) and 2-0 overall (7-6(9), 6-1 at the 2005 Istanbul Challenger). Roger-Vasselin has been more successful in doubles of late and is toiling down at 127th in the singles rankings. The 31-year-old, who fell to Malek Jaziri in the Aussie Open second round, opened on Tuesday with a 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory over Andreas Beck. His consistency, however, will face a much steeper test in the form of Simon.
Pick: Simon in 2
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I agree with Ricky’s picks here. Gasquet and Simon in two sets.