An all-Argentine affair between Federico Delbonis and Juan Monaco is on the docket for Monday in Shenzhen. Simone Bolelli and Matthew Ebden are also contesting a first-round match.
Matthew Ebden vs. Simone Bolelli
Bolelli and Ebden will going head-to-head for the first time in their careers when they do battle in the first round of the inaugural Shenzhen Open on Monday. Although Bolelli is a modest 5-6 at the ATP level this year, he is enjoying a rare clean bill of health and has resurfaced to relative prominence over the past few months. The world No. 77 qualified for both the French Open and Wimbledon, lost to Tommy Robredo in five sets in the U.S. Open second round, and played three competitive sets against Roger Federer earlier this month in Davis Cup action.
Ebden also owns five ATP-level match victories this season, but those have come at the expense of 20 losses. The world No. 88 is 3-15 in his last 18 matches (Challengers and ATP qualifying included) despite advancing one round in New York (beat Tobias Kamke, lost to Leonard Mayer). Ebden can be effective on fast hard courts as he likes to get into the net, but the discrepancy in natural talent will be way too much to overcome.
Pick: Bolelli in 2
[polldaddy poll=8322647]
Federico Delbonis vs. Juan Monaco
Delbonis and Monaco will be squaring off for the second time in their careers and for the second time this season when the two Argentines collide on Monday. Their only previous encounter came on the clay courts of Stuttgart, where Delbonis cruised 6-4, 6-1. That is just a part of what has been a tough year for Monaco, whose record stands at 16-17–leaving his ranking at a dismal 101st as of Sunday. The 30-year-old has not taken the court since losing a four-setter to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in round one of the U.S. Open.
Delbonis played almost the entire U.S. Open Series, so he has plenty of hard-court match practice. The world No. 58 advanced one round in Winston-Salem and at the season’s final Grand Slam (lost to Gilles Simon). While the surface would generally be considered a slight advantage for Monaco, who captured the Kuala Lumpur title in 2012, he has not won a hard-court match since the Indian Wells first round.
Pick: Delbonis in 3
[polldaddy poll=8322652]
Leave a Reply