Stockholm R2 previews and picks: Raonic vs. Johansson, Ferrer vs. Sock

Joachim Johansson will be back in action on Thursday in Stockholm as he faces Milos Raonic. Meanwhile, David Ferrer will kick off his campaign against Jack Sock.

(Q) Joachim Johansson vs. (2) Milos Raonic

Raonic may be the title favorite at the If Stockholm Open, but he won’t have the headlines nor will he have the crowd support in his opener on Thursday. After all, he has to go head-to-head against a long-lost Swede in the form of Johansson. Prior to this week, the former world No. 9 had not played a match since a March, 2011 Futures event in Switzerland. However, Johansson scored three wins in qualifying before crushing Alejandro Falla 6-1, 6-3 on Tuesday.

This enticing matchup pits a former Grand Slam semifinalist (Johansson at the 2004 U.S. Open) against a Grand Slam semifinalist–and perhaps more–in the making. Raonic registers one spot off his career-high ranking at No. 11 in the world thanks to a 43-19 record for his 2013 campaign. The 22-year-old Canadian’s fall swing includes a title in Bangkok, a runner-up finish in Tokyo, and a third-round showing at the Shanghai Masters. Johansson still has the serve and forehand to be competitive against anyone on any given day, especially on an indoor hard court, but Raonic’s match toughness is sky-high right now. The No. 2 seed should have too much in the pressure moments for a rusty opponent.

Pick: Raonic in 2 with at least one tiebreaker

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(1) David Ferrer vs. Jack Sock

Ferrer and Sock will also be facing each other for the first time in their careers on Thursday. Sock advanced to the second round with a 6-4, 6-2 defeat of Bernard Tomic. The 21-year-old American reached the last 32 at the U.S. Open, but he failed to qualify in both Beijing and Shanghai. Sock owns 10 ATP-level match victories this season, probably the second best of which is his scalp of Tomic (he upset Raonic in the Memphis).

This is Ferrer’s first match in Stockholm since 2006, when he reached the second round following a first-round ouster in 2005. The Spaniard, who snagged a first-round bye this week as the top seed, has been mostly disappointing since Wimbledon aside from a quarterfinal appearance at the U.S. Open. He compiled a mere 4-3 record during the Asian swing. Ferrer may not be playing with a lot of confidence right now, but his stellar service return and world-class defense that allows him to play long points should be conducive to breaking down Sock’s power game.

Pick: Ferrer in 2 with no tiebreakers

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