Paris R3 previews and picks: Murray vs. Goffin, Djokovic vs. Simon

Simon winsIt will be a preview of the upcoming Davis Cup final when Andy Murray goes up against David Goffin on Thursday in Paris. Novak Djokovic and Gilles Simon are also aiming for a place in the quarterfinals.

(16) David Goffin vs. (2) Andy Murray

A match that could decide the 2015 Davis Cup will be previewed during third-round action at the BNP Paribas Masters on Thursday. Murray and Goffin are set to square off for the second time in their careers, having previously faced each other last summer at Wimbledon. The Scot cruised 6-1, 6-4, 7-5, after which Goffin immediately went on a 25-match winning streak. Goffin has not really slowed down, as he is up to No. 16 in the world and has Belgium in the Davis Cup final (the Belgians will face Murray and visiting Great Britain starting Nov. 27). He kicked off his Paris campaign on Wednesday by hammering Dusan Lajovic 6-2, 6-2.

Murray opened with a convincing 6-1, 6-2 rout of Borna Coric. The world No. 3 is an awesome 65-11 for the season and will head into the World Tour Finals–which he confirmed he will play on Monday–as either the second or third seed. Although he is a disappointing 14-8 lifetime at this event with no trips past the quarterfinals, Murray should have an advantage over Goffin on an indoor hard court. The favorite will eventually hit Goffin off the court, but it will be far more difficult than it was against Coric.

Pick: Murray in 3

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(1) Novak Djokovic vs. (14) Gilles Simon

Djokovic and Simon will be meeting for the 10th time in their careers on Thursday. The head-to-head series stands at 8-1 in favor of Djokovic, who has won eight in a row at the Frenchman’s expense since dropping their opener 6-2, 6-7(6), 6-3 on the indoor hard courts of Marseille in 2008. Nine of their 10 previous encounters have come on hard courts, with the only exception taking place last year at Wimbledon. They have not clashed since the 2014 Cincinnati Masters, where Djokovic got the job done 6-3, 4-6, 6-4.

Simon survived an all-French affair to punch his ticket to this one, holding off Benoit Paire 6-4, 4-6, 6-1 on Tuesday night. The world No. 15 is 43-23 for the year and a decent 9-4 this fall with a runner-up showing in Metz. Djokovic did not reach peak form in his Paris opener but did have to while taking out Thomaz Bellucci 7-5, 6-3. The top-ranked Serb has not lost prior to a final since the very first tournament of the season in Doha, so for many reasons it is impossible to like Simon’s chances.

Pick: Djokovic in 2 losing 8-10 games

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77 Comments on Paris R3 previews and picks: Murray vs. Goffin, Djokovic vs. Simon

  1. I think the Belgian DC Captain might consider giving Darcis the #1 spot in theDC final with this dismal showing of Goffin against Murray.

    Final score:
    Murray beat Goffin – 61 60

  2. The Kei/ Gasquet match was a great match even though Kei was unfit. Gasquet won fair and square. I think Kei got back problems during the match because they had several great rallies.

  3. I am waiting to see Novak vs Tsonga cause no doubt Novak will beat Simon at the end…but playing this way Novak really looks vulnerable out there…this is such a strange match…it’s like we are watching WTA match where those two are both having a bad day in the office…so funny…

      • but this is Tsonga’s home soil and the crowd will go wild…he will play differently I am sure…Time for Tsonga to prove something because Novak is getting tired…as I expected he would be…

    • Don’t be fooled by Novak; he always conserves his energy for his later rounds. I expect him to play much better in the QF to beat whoever there.

      • Lucky,

        Thank you! Yes, I don’t know how many times I read people saying that Novak doesn’t look good, isn’t playing well. But when he gets to the semis and finals, he goes up another level.

        He’s been really good about saving his energy and his best when it counts the most.

  4. Kei is once again plagued with injury problems. He hasn’t looked that great recently. Good for Gasquet getting this win.

  5. At least this is not as dire as the Murray/Goffin match. Goffin looked like he fell out of bed onto the court. People should ask for their money back. It was the most terrible matches I have ever seen.

  6. WTA players will become jealous…these two steal the spotlight and will now be more talked about getting broken in one match than most of the WTA players… 🙂

  7. You know I never heard of Alize Lim. Is she Dimi’s new girlfriend? They already switched to Fed/Isner, so I may not get a chance to check out this person.

    Inquiring minds want to know! 🙂

  8. Oh, I checked out that link. So she’s a tennis player. Dimi must like to only date women who are professional tennis players.

  9. I am following the score for Ferrer/Dimi. Still on serve at 5-all.

    Fed and Isner still on serve. That’s no surprise.

  10. Whatever the reason for Goffin not showing up today it’s a pity Andy didn’t get a decent match under his belt. That’s two rounds he has sleepwalked his way through on the way to QF. It’s quite difficult to maintain focus when the other player is MIA. Gasquet has playing well so hopefully Andy will be match sharp for the SF – that is unless he wants to get to London early 😉

  11. I thought Murray played well, despite Goffin playing so poorly. He truly did not show up. Gasquet will definitely give Murray a match.

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