Fellow veterans Tommy Haas and Mikhail Youzhny will contest a tough first-round matchup on Tuesday in Rome. Lukas Rosol and Viktor Troicki are also in action.
(13) Tommy Haas vs. Mikhail Youzhny
Haas and Youzhny will be squaring off for the seventh time in their careers but for just the second time since 2008 when they do battle in the first round of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia on Tuesday. The head-to-head series is tied up at three wins apiece. Only their first-even encounter way back in 2002 came on clay, and it ended in a second-set Haas retirement. They most recently faced each other last fall in Beijing, where Youzhny prevailed 6-4, 4-6, 6-2.
Haas, however, has a clear edge in form this season. The 35-year-old German boasts a 20-8 record for his 2013 campaign, which includes a recent Munich title, a runner-up finish in San Jose, and a semifinal run in Miami–where he upset Novak Djokovic. Haas, ranked 14th in the world, won two matches last week in Madrid before falling to David Ferrer in a tough, high-quality three-setter. Youzhny is an extremely disappointing 9-11 for the year, but he may have gained some confidence in Madrid. The 30th-ranked Russian won a pair of three-setters over Fabio Fognini and Nicolas Almagro before succumbing to eventual champion Rafael Nadal. Youzhny had been just 1-3 on clay this season prior to last week’s Masters event.
Although the 30-year-old showed signs of life in Madrid, that may be an aberration instead of the rule. Haas, on the other hand, is playing remarkably consistent tennis at this point in his career. He had a good opportunity to go even further last week, but four days off in between matches will only help his Rome chances. Haas should have too much firepower and all-court game for Youzhny.
Pick: Haas in 2
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(LL) Lukas Rosol vs. Viktor Troicki
Rosol got into the main draw when Janko Tipsarevic withdrew on Monday. The 33rd-ranked Czech needed a lucky-loser spot after falling to Andrey Golubev 7-6(4), 6-4 in the final round of qualifying. Still, Rosol is playing stellar tennis for the most part. His ranking is a career-high, mainly thanks to his first-ever ATP title last month in Bucharest.
This will be the fifth career meeting between Rosol and Troicki, with the Serb trailing the head-to-head series 3-1. They just faced each other in Bucharest, where Troicki became another Rosol victim in a 6-3, 6-1 quarterfinal blowout. The world No. 42 is just 9-12 for his 2013 campaign after losing to Nishikori in the Madrid second round. Based on current form and their most recent meeting, the edge has to go to Rosol.
Pick: Rosol in 2
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