A marquee first-round matchup in Paris will pit Ernests Gulbis against Fernando Verdasco on Monday. Julien Benneteau is set to kick off his campaign in front of the French crowd versus Kei Nishikori.
Ernests Gulbis vs. Fernando Verdasco
Gulbis and Verdasco will be squaring off for the fifth time in their careers when they clash in round one of the BNP Paribas Masters on Monday. Verdasco leads the head-to-head series 3-1 after cruising to a 6-2, 6-4, 6-4 victory this summer in the Wimbledon third round. Gulbis’ lone win over the Spaniard came this spring via a 6-3, 6-4 decision on the clay courts of Barcelona. They have never faced each other on a hard court.
Both players are looking to bounce back from first-round losses last week in Valencia; Gulbis fell to John Isner and Verdasco was upset by qualifier Michal Przysiezny. At the same time, neither man is in particularly bad form. Gulbis recently captured an indoor title in St. Petersburg and reached the semis in Stockholm, where Verdasco advanced to the quarterfinals. The 25th-ranked Latvian is 37-17 for the year and the Spaniard is in position to join his opponent as a 2014 Australian Open seed at No. 32 in the world (as of Sunday). Based on a slight advantage in current form and a clear surface edge, Gulbis should be able to get the job done if his serve and backhand are working.
Pick: Gulbis in 3
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Kei Nishikori vs. Julien Benneteau
Nishikori and Benneteau will be going head-to-head for the second time in their careers on Monday. They have split their two previous encounters, both of which came on hard courts. Benneteau rolled 6-2, 6-3 at the 2007 Washington, D.C. event before Nishikori battled to a 4-6, 7-6(3), 7-6(4), 6-3 victory at the 2010 Australian Open. The Japanese star is a solid 33-18 for his 2013 campaign, but he may be slowing down at the end. An unspectacular Asian swing preceded a 6-1, 6-2 blowout loss to Ivan Dodig in the Basel second round.
Benneteau has the added benefit of playing with home-court advantage in Paris. The Frenchman is 6-4 lifetime at this tournament, has never lost in the first round, and he upset Roger Federer to reach the last 16 in 2009. Benneteau is coming off a second-round performance in Valencia, where he crushed Feliciano Lopez before losing to eventual runner-up David Ferrer. The surface and setting should help Benneteau in this one, especially against an opponent who is likely not quite 100 percent.
Pick: Benneteau in 2
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Benneteau in 2
Gulbis in 2
These days you only see brief flashes of the Verdasco circa 09/10 and certainly not on indoor HCs
I think that Gulbis still has it going on. He’ll win in straight, and I think Neishikori will win as well, even in Paris!
Yay!! Nando beats Ernie: 2 tie-breaks, 7/6 7/6. Between those two, you never know who’s going to be able to maintain it mentally.
Both my predictions out of the window.
I do not understand Gulbis.
Those manic eyes and complete lack of self control give me the creeps.