Paris R2 previews and picks: Tsonga vs. Nishikori, Gasquet vs. Verdasco

Second-round action in Paris will begin on Tuesday featuring Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Richard Gasquet. Tsonga is facing Kei Nishikori, while Gasquet is going up against Fernando Verdasco.

Kei Nishikori vs. (8) Jo-Wilfried Tsonga

Nishikori and Tsonga will be going head-to-head for the third time in their careers and for the second time this fall when they do battle in round two of the BNP Paribas Masters on Tuesday. They just faced each other at the Shanghai Rolex Masters, where Nishikori was struggling physically and went down 7-6(5), 6-0. Still, Japan’s top player is 2-1 lifetime against Tsonga with victories at the 2011 Shanghai tournament and in five sets at the 2012 Australian Open.

Tsonga stands at 10th in the race to the World Tour Finals (effectively ninth with Andy Murray out), so he needs a strong showing this week to pass either Richard Gasquet, Stanislas Wawrinka, or Roger Federer. The Frenchman is a decent 9-4 this fall after returning from a Wimbledon knee injury. Nishikori got crushed by Ivan Dodig 6-1, 6-2 last week in the Basel second round after his loss to Tsonga in Shanghai. The world No. 19, though, looked much improved in a 6-4, 6-2 rout of Julien Benneteau on Monday. Nishikori’s inconsistency right now and his opponent’s home-court advantage on an indoor hard court should seal the underdog’s fate.

Pick: Tsonga in 2

[polldaddy poll=7514993]

(9) Richard Gasquet vs. Fernando Verdasco

Gasquet and Verdasco will be squaring off for the 12th time in their careers on Tuesday. Verdasco leads the head-to-head series 6-5, including 3-1 on hard courts. They have not faced each other since a dead Davis Cup rubber in 2011. Their last meaningful match came on the clay courts of Nice in 2010, when Gasquet won the final over Verdasco 6-3, 5-7, 7-6(5). Most recently on hard courts, the Spaniard scored a 7-5, 6-4 victory at the 2009 Kuala Lumpur event.

While Gasquet got a first-round bye this week, Verdasco took care of Ernests Gulbis 7-6(3), 7-6(5). The world No. 34 is 29-22 for the season; 5-5 in tournament play since the U.S. Open. Gasquet’s fall stretch includes semifinal appearances in Bangkok and Beijing plus a title in Moscow. The 10th-ranked Frenchman lost his Basel opener to Michael Llodra, but that gave him some rest prior to this more important week. At the same time, Gasquet’s early ouster in Basel means he may need a stellar finish in Paris to qualify for London. The pressure will be on the ninth seed, but Verdasco has not been in great form and even his win over Gulbis was far from impressive.

Pick: Gasquet in 3

[polldaddy poll=7514996]