Rotterdam first-round action continues on Tuesday, when Philipp Kohlschreiber will square off against Vasek Pospisil. Gilles Simon and Joao Sousa are also taking the court.
Vasek Pospisil vs. Philipp Kohlschreiber
Pospisil and Kohlschreiber will be going head-to-head for the first time in their careers when they collide in round one of the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament on Tuesday. Kohlschreiber is in dire need of a victory having started the season 2-4. The 22nd-ranked German has not won more than a single match at any tournament, with losses to Bernard Tomic (twice), Jan-Lennard Struff, and Joao Sousa. He has twice reached the quarterfinals in Rotterdam, including last year.
Making his debut at this event, Pospisil is coming off a third-round performance at the Australian Open. However, the 59th-ranked Canadian was plagued by a back injury in a loss to a red-hot Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, so he is an obvious question mark heading into his first match since Melbourne. With Kohlschreiber, on the other hand, you know almost exactly what you are going to get from him every day at the office.
Pick: Kohlschreiber in 3
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Joao Sousa vs. (8) Gilles Simon
Sousa and Simon will be going head-to-head for the second time in their careers on Tuesday. Their only previous meeting came last season at the Miami Masters, where more than three hours were required before Sousa pulled off a 7-6(5), 3-6, 6-3 upset. Portugal’s top player has been producing stellar tennis outdoors and indoors alike of late. He advanced two rounds at the Aussie Open and made a run to last week’s Montpellier semifinals.
Both men lost to Jerzy Janowicz in Montpellier, Sousa 7-6(9), 3-6, 6-1 and Simon via a 6-2, 7-5 quarterfinal decision. The good news for the 19th-ranked Frenchman, however, is that he appears to be healthy after beginning the season with a knee injury. He at least managed to reach the third round Down Under before succumbing to David Ferrer in a tight four-setter. Look for a well-rested Simon to outlast Sousa in another extended baseline battle.
Pick: Simon in 3
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Pospisil in 2
Sousa in 3
Pospisil? You serious?
You just know it’s serious when Ricky picks AGAINST Pospisil.
#WhatHaveYouDoneForMeLately
Truth Bomb
I like Kohl and Sousa!
ditto
Okay, I picked Pospisil on the other thread. So now maybe I have to change my pick? I thought that Kohls wasn’t playing well these days. But I am not sure how Pospisil is either.
What I want to know is, will the tennis channel televise this tournament live or do I have to go looking for it on a replay a day later? It’s been really hard to find the broadcasts of the matches, which is why I have had trouble getting to watch some of them.
Everyone is going with Sousa except Ricky. I like Simon’s game but always worry if he is really healthy. I will stick with Simon in three sets.
Simon will win. Kohlschreiber and Pospisil are both in questionable form.
Agreed, but I’ve taken Pospisil because he has the aggressive gameplan and weight of short up his sleeve to punish a passive Kohli on an indoor hard court. If Kohli plays miles behind the baseline like he did last week and Pospisil steps in and plays relatively well the Canadian should win.
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http://www.atpworldtour.com/News/Tennis/2015/02/6/Rotterdam-Monday-Dimitrov-Goffin-Thiem.aspx
Feels like Grisha’s hit a wall, plateau’d, progress-wise. Even regressing, I would say. He should not be struggling to beat PHM.
Grisha has always been too much icing and not enough cake 🙂
Courtsey of Virginia Wade.
Dimitrov was very lucky to win. But you can’t question his attitude and his fight. And he did play some world class points at match point down, just like his intolerable girlfriend would have done. She must be rubbing off on him 😉
When on song PHM hits ludicrously clean off both wings and has played really well over his last few games. I wouldnt write Grigor off for beating him. There are other reasons to do that!
^^You really were created sick, no? 😉
I didn’t watch the match, but…………
RT @BackSwings : “As good as this is from Mathieu, there is some shocking tennis coming off of Dimitrov’s racquet. Not thinking clearly at all.”
There was a dispute over a line call in the first point of the TB when PHM’s ball was called out as a result of Dimi raising his hand to challenge but hawkeye showed that the ball was flush on the line. The umpire made them replay the point which annoyed PHM because he thought the ball would not have been called out if Dimi hadn’t raised his hand to challenge. Paul Henri never recovered from that and the argument carried on until after the match was over.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B9epjieIIAAm9gF.png
Pospisil’s 1st serve % looked better than 51%.
Kohli has had a weak start to the year for him. Have you heard anything about his fighting an injury?
He played great against Tomic at the AO
Cynthia,
I haven’t heard anything about an injury with Kohls. Whatever the reason, he is certainly not looking like himself these days.
Ricky, do Pospisil a favour and continue to pick against him.
#PospisillyRelated?
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Oh and here I picked Pospisil, but then backed down when Ricky seemed incredulous that anyone could pick him. But I did say that Kohls has not been playing well lately.
I am not going to say that I watched any match anymore. But I will try to watch what I can. I assume that the tennis channel is showing the matches on a tape delayed basis, but I will just keep checking to see what’s on.
I did not see any of these matches! Just for the record.
I am happy that Simon won.