Stuttgart R2 previews and predictions: Kyrgios vs. Marterer, Berdych vs. Paire

Nick Kyrgios will be playing his comeback singles match following an extended absence when he runs into Maximilian Marterer in Stuttgart on Thursday. Tomas Berdych and Benoit Paire are also aiming for a place in the quarterfinals.

(4) Nick Kyrgios vs. Maximilian Marterer

Kyrgios has played only 15 singles matches in 2018, and none since mid-April as he heads into second-round action at the Mercedes Cup on Thursday afternoon. The latest physical issue for the oft-injured Aussie involves his elbow, which kept him out of Indian Wells and also the entire clay-court swing following a quarterfinal performance in Houston. Kyrgios has at least managed to play some doubles, winning the Lyon title with Jack Sock and losing right away at a grass-court Challenger event in Surbiton with Jackson Withrow. The 23-year-old is teaming up with Withrow once again in Stuttgart and they beat Matthias Bachinger and Yannick Maden 7-5, 7-6(7) on Wednesday.

Up first for Kyrgios is Marterer, and it is no surprise that they have never faced each other because Kyrgios’ absence coincided with Marterer’s emergence. The 22-year-old German had never previously won an ATP-level match, but he owns 15 such victories in 2018 and he is up to 50th in the rankings. Marterer’s rise is buoyed by a 5-2 record at Grand Slams (third round of the Australian Open; fourth round of the French Open). He overcame Viktor Galovic 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 in his Stuttgart opener and is in the kind of form that should allow him to take advantage of a rusty opponent.

Pick: Marterer in 2

[polldaddy poll=10030162]

Benoit Paire vs. (3) Tomas Berdych

Berdych and Paire will be going head-to-head for the third time in their careers when they battle for a place in the Stuttgart quarterfinals on Thursday. Berdych has won both of their previous encounters; 6-1, 7-6(6) six years ago in Tokyo and 6-1, 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-4 at the 2015 French Open. Fast forward to 2018 and the Czech is no longer a staple of the ATP’s top 10 at 32 years old. He missed the Nitto ATP Finals with room to spare last season and his modest 10-9 record this year has him down at 19th in the rankings–and likely headed for an even steeper decline.

Paire is a decent 16-13 for the season after scraping past Taylor Fritz 6-7(4), 6-3, 6-2 on Tuesday. The 47th-ranked Frenchman fared relatively well on clay, advancing at least one round in each of his last four events on that surface–including a third-round performance in Rome. An edge in current form goes to Paire, but Berdych is extremely accomplished on grass and a steady diet of huge hitting to his opponent’s forehand will likely be enough to make the difference.

Pick: Berdych in 3

[polldaddy poll=10030163]