Top two seeds John Isner and Gael Monfils will continue their Washington, D.C. campaigns on Thursday. Isner is seeking a quarterfinal spot at the expense of familiar foe Marcos Baghdatis, while Monfils is facing Borna Coric.
(16) Borna Coric vs. (2) Gael Monfils
Monfils and Coric will be going head-to-head for the second time in their careers and for the second time this season when they clash in round three of the Citi Open on Thursday. Their only previous encounter came on the indoor hard courts of Rotterdam, where Monfils prevailed 6-3, 5-7, 6-2 on the way to a runner-up finish. The 17th-ranked Frenchman was on fire at that point in time, but wins have been few and far between for him dating back to the start of May, mainly because of both injury and illness. In fact, Monfils had not won a match since the Madrid Masters until he crushed Yen-Hsun Lu 6-3, 6-2 on Wednesday.
Coric is coming off a huge victory in Croatia’s decisive fifth Davis Cup quarterfinal rubber against the host United States, his second such heroics already this season. The world No. 53 got blown out by John Isner in the opening match last Friday, but he rebounded to beat Jack Sock 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 two days later. Coric maintained momentum by taking care of Yuichi Sugita 6-4, 6-4 in his Washington, D.C. opener on Wednesday night. An entertaining baseline battle should eventual see Monfils showcase just enough offense to get the best of Coric’s counter-punching abilities.
Pick: Monfils in 3
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(1) John Isner vs. (15) Marcos Baghdatis
Isner vs. Baghdatis is already one of the most lopsided matchups on tour, at least in terms of the head-to-head record. The 6’10” American is a perfect 7-0, including 6-0 on hard courts and 1-0 at the Citi Open. They faced each other at this tournament during quarterfinal action three years ago, when Isner got the job done 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-4. The two veterans just recently squared off for the first time on a difference surface, with the current world No. 16 prevailing 7-6(2), 7-6(5), 6-3 in the Wimbledon first round.
The United States’ Davis Cup disappointment also featured a straight-set loss by Isner to Marin Cilic, but this week’s No. 1 seed appeared to erase those demons with a 6-3, 6-4 beatdown of James Duckworth on Wednesday evening. Although Isner’s 2016 campaign has been entirely unspectacular, he at least managed to reach the last 16 at the French Open and the third round at the All-England Club (lost to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 19-17 in the fifth set). A three-time Washington, D.C. runner-up, Isner has always thrived during the American hard-court summer. That is just another reason why Isner should once again roll over Baghdatis–especially considering that the 15th seed got treatment for a lower-back problem during his 6-2, 6-4 second-round victory over John Millman.
Pick: Isner in 2
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Isner and two after his great first round performancr and Monfils in three after his also impressive drubbing of Lu.
Isner in* two
Ill go Big John in this one in 3 actually, brave enough to say there will be one breaker too which Marcos will take.
Havent seen the Monfils match but if he is fully recovered, his defense and offence should be enough to see off Coric in 3 sets