Moscow R2 previews and picks: Gasquet vs. Donskoy, Istomin vs. Karlovic

Richard Gasquet will begin his week in Moscow on Thursday against Evgeny Donskoy. Denis Istomin and Ivo Karlovic are also aiming for a spot in the quarterfinals.

(1) Richard Gasquet vs. Evgeny Donskoy

Making his debut appearance at the Kremlin Cup, Gasquet is putting a serious charge into his bid for the World Tour Finals. The 10th-ranked Frenchman is 44-18 for the year, which includes a recent semifinal run at the U.S. Open. He also captured titles in Doha and Montpellier before reaching the Miami semis. Gasquet’s Asian swing was decent, with semifinal finishes in Bangkok and Beijing prior to a first-round Shanghai setback against Vasek Pospisil.

Up first for the top seed in Moscow after an opening-round bye is Donskoy, whom he has never faced. The 23-year-old Russian owns 13 of his 14 career ATP-level match victories this season. He advanced to the third round of the U.S. Open and he scored an impressive 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 win over Marcos Baghdatis on Tuesday. Donskoy wields a deceptively strong serve and go-for-broke forehand that makes him dangerous, so this could be a tough test for Gasquet. The favorite, though, should be too consistent and do enough damage with his one-handed backhand to prevail.

Pick: Gasquet in 3

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Ivo Karlovic vs. (5) Denis Istomin

Istomin and Karlovic will also be going head-to-head for the first time in their careers on Thursday. It has been a solid season for Istomin, who plays more tournaments than just about anyone else on tour but has 31 ATP match wins for his efforts. The Uzbek registers 14 spots off his career-high ranking at No. 47 in the world. Istomin, who reached the fourth round of the U.S. Open, opened on Wednesday in Moscow with a 6-0, 2-6, 6-1 defeat of Andrey Kuznetsov.

Karlovic earned his place in the second round by dismissing Denis Kudla 6-2, 6-3. The 6’10” Croat is now 12-11 for his 2013 campaign, which began with injuries but has improved marginally of late. Karlovic snagged a title in Bangkok to kick off his summer and he qualified for the U.S. Open main draw before advancing one round. The 34-year-old, however, had not won a match since then prior to this week. Karlovic’s serve makes him dangerous on a fast indoor hard court, but Istomin’s return is underrated and the fifth seed has a considerable edge in current form.

Pick: Istomin in 3

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