Gael Monfils and Paul-Henri Mathieu are set for an all-French showdown on Tuesday in Stuttgart. Lukas Rosol and Thomaz Bellucci are also looking for a place in the second round.
Paul-Henri Mathieu vs. Gael Monfils
Monfils and Mathieu will be squaring off for the fourth time in their careers and for the first time in almost four years when the two Frenchmen collide in round one of the Mercedes Cup on Tuesday afternoon. Mathieu leads the head-to-head series 2-1, including 1-0 on clay. They faced each other at the 2007 Gstaad event, when Mathieu prevailed 6-1, 4-6, 6-3. Mathieu also scored a three-set victory on the indoor hard courts of Marseille in 2009 before Monfils got revenge with a 6-2, 6-2 triumph later that season at the Shanghai Masters.
This is something of a comeback for Monfils, who experienced a resurgence in Nice (runner-up), at the French Open (third round), and in Halle (quarterfinals) before disappearing and missing Wimbledon due to a personal issue. He is back up to No. 60 in the world thanks to a decent 19-13 ATP-level record for his 2013 campaign. Mathieu is a horrendous 3-13 at the ATP level this year and he is struggling down at No. 79 in the world. The veteran picked up a rare win in the Wimbledon first round–over Ricardas Berankis–before retiring against Feliciano Lopez. All signs, including the surface, point to a confident Monfils maintaining his fine form.
Pick: Monfils in 2
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(7) Lukas Rosol vs. Thomaz Bellucci
Rosol and Bellucci will be going head-to-head for the second time in their careers when they meet on Tuesday. Their only previous encounter came last season on the hard courts of Indian Wells, where Bellucci emerged victorious by a 6-2, 7-6(4) scoreline. The 56th-ranked Brazilian’s 2013 record stands at just 7-9 and he has not played since withdrawing from a Barcelona quarterfinal match due to an abdominal strain.
Since capturing the first ATP title of his career on the clay courts of Bucharest in April, Rosol has been disappointing to say the least. He has won two of his last seven ATP-level matches while also losing in the quarterfinals and semifinals of two Challenger tournaments. The 40th-ranked Czech is struggling to stay within striking distance of a seeded spot for the U.S. Open. Rosol’s game is not ideal for clay, but his recent title is reason for encouragement. Obviously, though, he would rather be facing Bellucci on a much faster surface.
Pick: Bellucci in 3
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Not sure that Monfils is in top form, but he can beat PHM.