Stuttgart SF previews and picks: Nadal vs. Monfils, Cilic vs. Troicki

June 12, 2015 Ricky Match previews 83

Nadal 2 USORafael Nadal will continue his Stuttgart campaign against Gael Monfils during semifinal action on Saturday. Marin Cilic and Viktor Troicki are also aiming for a spot in the title match.

(1) Rafael Nadal vs. (4) Gael Monfils

Nadal and Monfils will be squaring off for the 13th time in their careers when they clash in the semifinals of the Mercedes Cup on Saturday. The head-to-head series stands at a dominant 10-2 in Nadal’s favor, but they have never faced each other on grass. They also have not met since early in 2014, when the Spaniard prevailed 6-1, 6-7(7), 6-2 in Doha and 6-1, 6-2, 6-3 at the Australian Open. Both of Monfils’ victories came in Doha, first in 2009 and then in 2012.

It has already been an eventful week for both players. Nadal needed three sets in each of his first two matches and he has spent a total of exactly six hours on the singles court (two hours and 40 minutes against Marcos Baghdatis; two hours and 20 minutes against Bernard Tomic). Monfils held off Andreas Haider-Maurer 7-6(6), 7-6(5) before fighting past Philipp Kohlschreiber 7-5, 3-6, 6-3 on Friday. The 16th-ranked Frenchman is a stellar 24-9 for the season. Nadal, on the other hand, has struggled from start to finish this year and his record stands at 31-10. He has to be short on confidence after failing to win a single title on European clay. The good news for Nadal is that Monfils has also worked hard through two matches and the underdog is not particularly comfortable on grass.

Pick: Nadal in 2

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(8) Viktor Troicki vs. (2) Marin Cilic

An all-seeded semifinal lineup in Stuttgart also features the ninth career meeting between Cilic and Troicki. Cilic is leading the head-to-head series 5-3, but they have never met on grass. The two competitors were familiar foes from 2008 through the start of 2011, but they have collided only once in more than four years. Cilic most recently beat Troicki 7-6(12), 6-4, 7-5, at the 2013 French Open. An especially tough test came on the Indoor hard courts of Zagreb, where the Croat survived at home 7-6(7), 6-7(8), 7-6(6).

Cilic appears to be finding at least some kind of form as he returns from an arm injury that plagued his conclusion to 2014 and the start of 2015. The reigning U.S. Open champion reached the fourth round of the French Open and so far in Stuttgart he has taken out Matthias Bachinger and Mischa Zverev (the latter in a third-set tiebreaker). Troicki booked his spot in the last four with victories over Borna Coric, Alexander Zverev, and Sam Groth, dropping just one set to Zverev in the process. The 28th-ranked Serb is 22-12 during what has been a resurgent 2015 campaign in the wake of a year-long suspension that ended last summer. Troicki will be competitive, but Cilic’s hard, flat ball-striking should make the difference on grass.

Pick: Cilic in 3

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47 Comments on Stuttgart SF previews and picks: Nadal vs. Monfils, Cilic vs. Troicki

  1. I had to go for a lunch so came back late and hence missed the first set and the first few games of the second. Rafa has won the match in two sets! This is brilliant.

    He really is playing great tennis now. Every aspect of his game is working well now. He seems a lot more relaxed on the court now .

    Plenty of body serves to monfils today and the forehand has become steadier.

    Cilic will most probably beat Troicki so Nadal vs Cilic will be good. I expect rafa to win the title now! I am so happy about his progress 🙂

    And he won todays match in 1 hr and 19 mins! Ideal given that he was talking of getting tired due to his long matches earlier.

    VAMOS! bite that trophy!

    Reply

    • vamosrafa,

      Great to read your thoughts on the match. Since I won’t see it until much later, it’s wonderful to know that he is playing well. As you know, I set great store by your thoughts and analysis. You will always keep it real and be honest as to how Rafa is playing.

      I am expecting Cilic to beat Troicki. That would set up a Rafa/Cilic final. Bring it on!

      I am so happy to get up and hear the good news! Rafa is in a final!!

      Reply

      • nny, is great news, no??!
        # the return of rafa’s forehand……sounds a bit like a movie title no??
        rafa to shoot it out at the ok corral…otherwise known as wimbledon….

        Reply

    • amy,

      Yes! Rafa is playing so much more like himself. I can’t get over it! Weren’t you the one who said that maybe the pressure was lifted after he lost at RG?

      This is just so good to see! I think if Rafa can win the title here, that would give him a good boost heading into Queens. Winning a title and holding a trophy! That will do it!

      I am getting really excited now!.

      Reply

      • nny, yes I too am getting excited….would be such a fillip to his spirits to win tomorrow…
        am trying to hold my excitement in check a bit as am already fantasising about the future!
        the most important things are a. that he is playing with confidence again b. that his forehand is strong again as a result…it’s all mental afterall which means that he can beat anyone….

        Reply

    • fantastic indeed…..how rafa plays on break points (ie becoming more, not less, aggressive) is the key barometer to his confidence levels…..

      Reply

      • true! and yes, it seems like his forehand is finally reaching the level we are accustomed to seeing. It was very solid today and if he does the same tomorrow, it would be reasonable to assume it is well and truly back! This title would be awesome for his dwindling confidence. Winning this title would give him sufficient confidence to make a strong impact in the next tournaments

        Reply

      • so glad to hear the forehand was solid today. Did you read my comment earlier that rafa has quite the sense of humour losing on clay and winning on grass?!!
        ….just at the point at which everyone had written his tennis obituary……maybe that’s the point at which he relaxes…like in 2013…..
        a title on grass would be amazing….

        Reply

    • Thnx vamosrafa.. The FH is really kicking.. Did you see that awesome DTL winner to go up BP at 3 all in 1st. Also love the volleys and he is standing much closer to baseline.

      Reply

    • vamosrafa,

      Bless you for the highlights of Rafa’s match! He was playing so well today! What I sense is that he is playing like a man who has had a tremendous burden lifted from his shoulders. Maybe with the loss at RG and now with almost no points to defend for the rest of the year, he is just able to play more freely. I thought Monfils played quite well, yet Rafa had the answers.

      Rafa is standing closer to the baseline and getting good penetration with this ground strokes. He was also aggressive, coming to the net to hit great volleys.

      I will most likely have to wait until much later to see the replay. Yesterday the tennis channel didn’t show the replay until almost 6:00 pm my time. But I am looking forward to it.

      Many thanks again for doing this! 🙂

      Reply

  9. Is anyone watching the 2nd semi-final between the two recent failed drug test ‘victims’?

    Will it be the one who succesfully appealed or the one who was was unlucky?

    Reply

  11. queen’s draw….murray gets dimitrov, cilic gets lopez, raonic gets simon, rafa gets stan……
    now i wonder which is the hardest qf???
    so murray and cilic are seeded to meet, then raonic and wawa….

    Reply

  13. I am so frustrated with the lack of tv coverage for Stuttgart. I recorded what I thought was the semifinal, only to play it and see that it was a replay of Rafa’s match yesterday.

    So I just went online and checked the score to get the good news! I will have to watch the match later today on the replay.

    I am just happy that Rafa won in straight sets! Good news,

    He’s in the final! 🙂

    Reply

  18. I paid $9.99 for twenty four hours of tennis coverage the other day on tennistv.com, only to find out that it was not being shown in my area. So much for that idea!

    I forgot how poor the coverage is in the states for these smaller 250 tournaments. I expect the coverage for Queens to be better, since it is one of the main warm up tournaments leading up to Wimbledon.

    Reply

    • atul,

      I just got back on here briefly. Thanks for your response! I will have to try it tomorrow because I checked the scheduling for tomorrow on the tennis channel and they will not be televising the final live. It will be shown much later.

      Reply

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