Philipp Kohlschreiber will kick off his Montpellier campaign on Thursday when he takes the court against Paul-Henri Mathieu. Jarkko Nieminen and Steve Darcis are also bidding for a place in the quarterfinals.
Paul-Henri Mathieu vs. (3) Philipp Kohlschreiber
Kohlschreiber and Mathieu will already be squaring off for the second time this season when they meet in the second round of the Open Sud de France on Thursday. Things do not bode well for the Frenchman after going down in flames 6-2, 6-2, 6-1 to Kohlschreiber in round one of the Australian Open. Overall, the German leads the head-to-head series 2-1 (he also won on the indoor hard courts of Metz in 2009; Mathieu’s lone victory came 12 years ago on the clay courts of Gstaad).
Mathieu did well to book his spot in the last 16 by holding off qualifier Taro Daniel 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-1 on Tuesday. Kohlschreiber earned a first-round bye as the No. 3 seed, so he has enjoyed plenty of rest since losing a high-quality four-setter to Bernard Tomic at the Aussie Open. There is no reason to think Mathieu will be able to turn such a drastic tide at the expense of the favorite.
Pick: Kohlschreiber in 2
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(Q) Steve Darcis vs. Jarkko Nieminen
Darcis and Nieminen will be going head-to-head for the first time in eight years when they collide during second-round action. Their only previous encounter came in 2008 on the clay courts of Bastad, where Nieminen cruised 6-3, 6-1. The Finn is still going strong at 33 years old, with a ranking of 66th in the world and four match wins already under his belt this season. Nieminen opened on Tuesday by seeing off No. 8 seed Jan-Lennard Struff 7-6(5), 6-3.
Although neither man has a game that should be particularly suited to indoor conditions, Darcis cannot be underestimated on slick surfaces. He captured the 2008 Memphis title (when it was a 500-point event) and upset Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon in 2013. The 125th-ranked Belgian has continued to struggle with injury problems, but he won a Challenger last month, qualified for the main draw this week, and beat Tatsuma Ito 6-2, 6-2 on Wednesday. This looks like a toss-up, but Nieminen is the more consistent and reliable performer right now.
Pick: Nieminen in 3
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Kohlscreiber’s playing ten metres behind the baseline and Mathieu’s playing a blinder. Which came first i’m not sure. Kohli isn’t winning this week.
sure he can. PHM let him off the hook. He will use it.
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