Viktor Troicki will kick off his Sofia campaign on Thursday against Daniel Brands. Gilles Muller and Ricardas Berankis are also aiming for a place in the quarterfinals.
(Q) Daniel Brands vs. (2) Viktor Troicki
Troicki will be playing his first match of the week and Brands will be contesting his fourth when they take the court at the Sofia Open on Thursday. Brands earned a pair of qualifying wins to get into the main draw before beating fellow qualifier Thomas Fabbiano 7-6(5), 6-3 on Wednesday. The 134th-ranked German double-faulted a ridiculous 11 times but he also fired 16 aces and broke Fabbiano three times to make up for two donations of his own serve. Brands is coming off a stellar Australian Open, as he also qualified in Melbourne and advanced one round before falling to Guillermo Garcia-Lopez in four sets.
This will be the second career meeting–first at the ATP level–between the two veterans. They previously faced each other at an indoor Challenger event in Serbia seven years ago, when Troicki got the job done 6-2, 6-3. The 25th-ranked Serb is in fine form this season, with a title in Sydney and a third-round performance at the Aussie Open (lost to eventual semifinalist Milos Raonic). Going up against a big-serving opponent who already has three matches under his belt is a tough proposition, but Troicki should be able to break down Brands in the end. And it goes without saying that the underdog cannot afford another 11 double-faults against this caliber of opposition.
Pick: Troicki in 3
[polldaddy poll=9297059]
Ricardas Berankis vs. (6) Gilles Muller
Muller and Berankis will be squaring off for the third time in their careers and for the second time at the ATP level. At this exact same time last year in Zagreb (the tournament that relocated to Sofia), Berankis scored a 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-4 victory. They also went head-to-head at an indoor Challenger event five seasons ago in France, where Muller cruised 6-4, 6-2.
With his 6-3, 6-2 beatdown of Malek Jaziri on Tuesday, Muller already owns six match wins this year. The 42nd-ranked Luxembourgian was a semifinalist in Sydney. Berankis bounced back from an opening loss in Melbourne at the hands of Alexandr Dolgopolov to defeat Bulgarian wild card Dimitar Kuzmanov 6-3, 2-6, 6-3 on Wednesday. The 96th-ranked Lithuanian is now an even 2-2 for his 2016 campaign. An in-f0rm Muller has to like his chances in this one, especially after blasting 16 aces and winning all 23 of his first-serve points against Jaziri.
Pick: Muller in 3
[polldaddy poll=9297057]
who ya got?
Muller should have enough to get a three set win and I’ll take Troicki in two but that match may go three as well.
Same as Ricky.