Tokyo seeds Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Janko Tipsarevic will be back in action on Wednesday. They are set for respective encounters with Ivan Dodig and Alexandr Dolgopolov.
Ivan Dodig vs. (2) Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
Dodig and Tsonga will be going head-to-head for the second time in their careers when they do battle in the second round of the Rakuten Japan Open on Wednesday. Their only previous meeting came last summer on the grass courts of Queen’s Club, where Dodig won a 7-6(3), 3-6, 7-6(5) thriller. The 34th-ranked Croat is a decent 28-22 for the season and he reached at least the third round (fourth at Wimbledon) at three of four Grand Slams. Dodig opened on Tuesday in Tokyo with a 6-3, 6-1 rout of wild card Yuichi Sugita.
Tsonga and Gael Monfils were dealt a brutal draw against each other in round one, with the No. 2 seed prevailing 6-3, 7-6(8) on Monday. The eighth-ranked Frenchman is in the midst of his second tournament since a knee injury forced him to retire from a Wimbledon second-round match. He reached the Metz final last month before succumbing to compatriot Gilles Simon in straight sets. Tsonga is certainly not yet 100 percent so this should be extremely competitive, but he has to gain confidence from his win over Monfils.
Pick: Tsonga in 3
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Alexandr Dolgopolov vs. (8) Janko Tipsarevic
Dolgopolov and Tipsarevic will facing each other for the second time in their careers on Wednesday. They squared off last season on the hard courts of Miami, where Tipsarevic won 6-4, 5-7, 6-2. The 23rd-ranked Serb has slumped throughout this year and he is no longer any kind of contender for the World Tour Finals. Tipsarevic’s 2013 record is an even 20-20 after a 6-7(6), 6-1, 6-4 victory over Victor Hanescu on Tuesday.
Dolgopolov’s week began with a 6-3, 6-1 blowout of Daniel Brands on Monday. Like Tipsarevic, the 39th-ranked Ukrainian is wrapping up a disappointing season. He is a mere 21-22, but a recent run to the Winston-Salem semifinals is somewhat encouraging. Dolgopolov’s destruction of Brands was impressive and Tipsarevic’s confidence is nonexistent right now, so the No. 8 seed could be in trouble.
Pick: Dolgopolov in 3
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