David Ferrer will contest his Nottingham opener against Marcos Baghdatis on Tuesday. Gilles Simon and Marcel Granollers are also seeking a place in the third round.
(1) David Ferrer vs. Marcos Baghdatis
Ferrer and Baghdatis will be squaring off for the sixth time in their careers when they meet in round two of the AEGON Open on Tuesday. The head-to-head series stands at 4-1 in favor of Ferrer, who most recently prevailed 6-4, 6-2, 6-3 at the 2013 Australian Open in what has been their only encounter since the spring of 2010. This is the first grass-court showdown between the two veterans, who have faced each other four times on hard courts (Ferrer 3-1) in addition to one matchup on clay (Ferrer 1-0).
Given Baghdatis’ struggles in what appear to be the latter stages of his career, this season has to be considered a relative success considering the Cypriot is back inside the top 60 of the rankings. He is 11-9 at the ATP level after getting a retirement from Victor Estrella Burgos on Sunday (Baghdatis was cruising 7-5, 3-0 at the time). Ferrer earned a first-round bye as the No. 1 seed. The seventh-ranked Spaniard is obviously not at his best on clay, but he has to be respected on this surface as a two-time Wimbledon quarterfinalist. Although Baghdatis should make this competitive, Ferrer is playing too well at the moment and will break his opponent down from the back of the court.
Pick: Ferrer in 2
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Marcel Granollers vs. (2) Gilles Simon
Of the 17 ATP finals Simon has contested in his career, only one has come on grass. He finished runner-up at this same event in 2009, when it was hosted in Eastbourne instead of Nottingham. Still, Simon cannot be discounted on the green stuff. The 13th-ranked Frenchman has reached the Wimbledon fourth round once and the third round on four other occasions. He is in solid form right now with a 26-12 record on the season coming off a semifinal showing at Queen’s Club.
Up next for Simon on Tuesday is a seventh career meeting with Granollers. The 70th-ranked Spaniard owns a somewhat surprising 4-2 edge in the head-to-head series, but Simon cruised through their most recent encounter 7-6(5), 6-2, 6-4 at this year’s Australian Open. This will be their first-ever clash on grass, a surface that should be neutral in terms of this matchup. Granollers, who opened his week by getting a retirement from Vasek Pospisil early in the third set, is an all-court player who is extremely skilled at net. In other words, this matchup presents a stark contrast in style. As long as Simon is rested enough, he will likely be too consistent for Granollers.
Pick: Simon in 3
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Marcos Baghdatis defeated David Ferrer 6-2, 7-6(4).
What’s going on? Or is it a case of putting in a bit of grass court practice and taking a break before Wimby?
I actually watched the Troicki match………..different as chalk from cheese compared with last week. He must have risked coming close to being fined for not making enough effort.
Troicki vs. Stako?
Hey. What’s The Grandscam. Another site you run?
Yes. He threw a hissy fit mid-match and was endless disputing points. Bernardes was giving him some very old-fashioned stares.
I haven’t been able to watch any matches today; seems there has been some drama.
Baggy is a great player when he doesn’t go walkies.