Nice R2 preview and prediction: Simon vs. Fritz

Gilles Simon will begin his final preparations for the French Open when he takes the court against Taylor Fritz during second-round action on Wednesday in Nice. Adam Leigh previews the action.

Nice-born Gilles Simon opens his 2016 bid for a hometown title when he takes on one of American tennis’ great hopes, Taylor Fritz, in the Open de Nice Cote d’Azur second round.

Twice a semifinalist at his local tour stop, Simon would love a deep run in Nice to defend a host of ranking points he picked up on tour this time last year. The Frenchman is not having his greatest season up to this point, as he owns just two wins over top 25 players and is yet to find his way further than a quarterfinal. Fritz, by contrast, is in just his second year as a pro but already has a final appearance in Memphis to his name and is showing fine progress in the early stages of his career. Surprisingly, this is Fritz’s first main-draw appearance on either the ATP or even second-tier Challengers on clay. The young Californian has suffered back-to-back qualifying losses to Radek Stepanek in Madrid and Rome so far on the clay-court swing, but he made the most of direct entry in Nice with a straight-set win over Illya Marchenko on Monday.

Outside of Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray, an argument could be made for Simon being the best defensive player on tour. That exceptional defense also makes him one of the most frustrating players for opponents to tangle with. He knows exactly what his game is about and seldom deviates tactically from what he is so very good at–making other players create their own shots with the little pace he offers.

Fritz has all the raw tools to be a force at the very highest levels of the game; he is able to generate great power both on serve and through his groundstrokes with efficiency. Crucially, though, he also possesses soft hands and wonderful touch, qualities often missing from the toolkit of many current power hitters.

As for this contest, the underdog could present Simon with some real problems. Simon’s lack of power will allow Fritz to get into the court and control points from his favored area around the middle of baseline; he hits exceedingly well cross-court from both wings and will dictate plenty of points. His game might still be a little too inconsistent and his footwork too under-developed to completely break down Simon at this point, but with the weapons he has it would not surprise to see last year’s French Open boys finalist steal an upset.

Pick: Fritz in 3

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