Roger Federer is now just two wins away from clinching a return trip to the No. 1 world ranking and his Rotterdam campaign will continue against Philipp Kohlschreiber on Thursday. Andrey Rublev and Damir Dzumhur are also hoping to snag a spot in the quarterfinals.
(1) Roger Federer vs. Philipp Kohlschreiber
Federer and Kohlschreiber will be squaring off for the 13th time in their careers when the two veterans clash in the second round of the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament on Thursday night. The head-to-head series stands at a perfect 12-0 in favor of Federer, who is 2-0 against Kohlschreiber indoors and 7-0 on hard courts overall. They have faced each other only once since 2015, with the Swiss cruising 6-4, 6-2, 7-5 in round four of the 2017 U.S. Open.
Nothing suggests Kohlschreiber will suddenly turn the tide in this one. The 34-year-old German has slumped to a respectable but unspectacular ranking of No. 36 in the world and he is just 1-3 this season. Kohlschreiber picked up a much-needed victory on on Tuesday, mounting an impressive comeback to beat Karen Khachanov 3-6, 7-6(1), 7-6(5). Federer, who will become No. 1 next Monday if he reaches the semifinals, trounced Ruben Bemelmans 6-1, 6-2 in 47 minutes on Wednesday. The reigning Australian Open champion should be in line for another quick day at the office.
Pick: Federer in 2 losing 5-7 games
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Andrey Rublev vs. Damir Dzumhur
Rublev and Dzumhur will be going head-to-head for the fourth time in their careers on Thursday. All three of their previous meetings have gone Rublev’s way; 6-3, 6-3 on the red clay of Istanbul in 2015, 6-4, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 at last summer’s U.S. Open, and 6-1, 4-6, 6-1 shortly thereafter in Shanghai. It has only been full steam ahead for Rublev on the heels of his breakout 2017 campaign, as the 20-year-old Russian finished runner-up in Doha, reached the third round of the Australian Open, and is coming off a quarterfinal performance in Montpellier. The world No. 34 improved to 9-3 this season by beating Montpellier champion Lucas Pouille 7-5, 6-4 on Wednesday.
Dzumhur also enjoyed by far his best year on tour in 2017, highlighted by the first two ATP titles of his career in back-to-back months in St. Petersburg and Moscow. Maintaining momentum has been tougher for the 29th-ranked Bosnian than for Rublev, as the former is a modest 5-4 in 2018 with a couple of disappointing and lopsided losses. Dzumhur also capitalized on a fatigued opponent in his Rotterdam opener, getting the best of Sofia runner-up Marius Copil 6-4, 6-4. Based on both head-to-head history and current form, a clear edge in this one goes to Rublev.
Pick: Rublev in 2
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