Fellow Germans Alexander Zverev and Jan-Lennard Struff will be a part of second-round action in Munich on Thursday. They are set for respective meetings with Lukas Rosol and Juan Martin Del Potro.
Malek Jaziri vs. (8) Alexander Zverev
Zverev and Rosol will be going head-to-head for the fourth time in their careers when they battle for a quarterfinal spot at the BMW Open on Thursday. Rosol has won all three of their previous encounters and has never even dropped a set against Zverev. The Czech prevailed 7-6(7), 7-6(9) on the grass courts of Stuttgart in 2014, got the job done 7-6(0), 6-3 last season in Miami, and dominated 6-2, 6-3, 6-1 in a decisive fifth Davis Cup rubber on the indoor hard courts of Germany earlier this year. Those results can, however, be explained at least in part. In the first two showdowns, Zverev had not yet come close to the heights he has currently reached. In the Davis Cup contest, he was coming off a grueling five-set loss to Tomas Berdych two days earlier.
Aside from not liking the awful conditions this week in Munich, Zverev will have no such excuses this time. The 19-year-old is healthy, well-rested, and in outstanding form. Up to No. 49 in the world, he is 14-10 for his 2016 campaign after overcoming Malek Jaziri 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 on Wednesday. Rosol booked his spot in the last 16 by taking out Denis Istomin 6-7(2), 6-4, 7-6(2) on Monday. The world No. 65 is 9-11 this season and he had lost five ATP-level tournament matches in a row prior to his arrival in Munich. There is no reason why Zverev should not capitalize on home-court advantage in Germany and begin turning the tide against Rosol.
Pick: Zverev in 2
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Jan-Lennard Struff vs. (WC) Juan Martin Del Potro
The latest chapter of Del Potro’s current comeback saw him play his first clay-court match since the Rome Masters in 2013. Facing Dustin Brown on Wednesday, the 27-year-old Argentine twice failed to serve out the proceedings but still managed to hang on for a 7-6(2), 6-4 victory. In the midst of his fourth tournament his season after missing almost all of the 2015 campaign, Del Potro is 6-3 and has reached at least the second round on every occasion.
Up next for the 2009 U.S. Open champion is a first-ever meeting with Struff, who punched his ticket to the last 16 by defeating Vasek Pospisil 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-2 on Wednesday. The 112th-ranked German is just 2-4 at the ATP level this year, but he is finding the range on clay. Although Struff did not pick up a main-draw victory (lost to Dominic Thiem and Alexander Zverev), he successfully qualified in both Monte-Carlo and Barcelona. Struff should be able to make this one competitive, but Del Potro appears to be getting healthier and more confident as time progresses.
Pick: Del Potro in 3
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Who Ya got?
Delpo in 2! Accidentally voted 3. Meant Sascha over Rosol in 3.
Zverev over Rosol in 2 sets.
Delpo over Struff in 3 sets.
Zverev-Rosol poll fixed
Del Po in straights and Rosol in three but please God let zverev win. I hope he does but I picked Rosol to take him down at start of tournament and looking at H2H I’m keeping that pick. Zverev could very well turn the tide though. Definitely hope he does.
We wouldn’t say for sure that Delpo is a clear favorite: too soft movements and poor footwork. It’ll be a close match with equal winning odds.