Rome R2 previews and predictions: Wawrinka vs. Paire, Goffin vs. Sock

Following a first-round bye, Stan Wawrinka will kick off his Rome campaign on Tuesday against good friend Benoit Paire. David Goffin and Jack Sock set up a showdown by surviving respective three-setters in their openers.

Benoit Paire vs. (4) Stan Wawrinka

Wawrinka and Paire will be squaring off for the ninth time in their careers when the good friends and occasional doubles partners meet again during second-round action at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia on Tuesday. The head-to-head series stands at 6-2 in favor of Wawrinka, who won their only previous clay-court encounter 6-3, 5-7, 6-2 at the 2012 Buenos Aires event. They have faced each other twice this season, with Wawrinka cruising 6-3, 6-4 in the Chennai semifinals before Paire prevailed 6-4, 1-6, 7-5 in the Marseille quarters.

Paire could not have asked for a better opening-round draw in Rome, where he went up against a slumping Bernard Tomic on Sunday. It became even easier than expected for the 21st-ranked Frenchman, as Tomic retired just three games into the match because of illness. Paire is a mediocre 15-14 for the year, but more than half of his victories (eight) have come on this European clay-court swing. Wawrinka is a woeful 4-4 since capturing a title on the hard courts of Dubai back in February. The fourth-ranked Swiss will be eager to pick up some momentum in advance of the French Open and he should be motivated to do well in Rome and thus hold off Rafael Nadal for the No. 4 seed at the upcoming Grand Slam. As long as he is in that correct frame of mind, Wawrinka will likely benefit from playing on his favorite surface and eventually break down the Paire forehand.

Pick: Wawrinka in 2

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Jack Sock vs. (12) David Goffin

Sock and Goffin just barely managed to prevent this second-round contest from becoming an all-Argentine showdown between Guido Pella and Leonardo Mayer. On Sunday, Goffin trailed by a set and 5-3 in the second-set tiebreaker before overcoming Mayer 2-6, 7-6(8), 6-3. One day later, Sock dropped the first set to Pella and faced a break point at 5-5 in the second only to storm back for a 5-7, 7-5, 6-3 victory.

Tuesday will mark the second career meeting between these two competitors. They previously faced each other three years ago on the hard courts of Winston-Salem, where Goffin advanced via third-set retirement while leading 4-6, 6-3, 1-0. Although Goffin has cooled off considerably on clay, his stellar season is highlighted by consecutive Masters 1000 semifinal performances in Indian Wells and Miami. Sock finished runner-up in Houston and battled past both Paire and Juan Martin Del Potro in Madrid before mentally flaming out against Joao Sousa. Goffin lost right away in Madrid but his exit came after a particularly high-quality affair with Lucas Pouille. In what is sure to be a competitive contest, the 13th-ranked Belgian will likely have an edge in the mental department and in stamina.

Pick: Goffin in 3

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