Wimbledon Day 2 picks, including Rosol vs. Paire and Benneteau vs. Muller

The Grandstand’s Ricky Dimon and Joey Hanf of The Tennis Nerds preview and pick four of the best men’s singles matches on Day 2 at Wimbledon. Among those in action are Lukas Rosol and Julien Benneteau.

Benoit Paire vs. Lukas Rosol

Ricky: The winner will face Rafael Nadal in the second round, which means we could have a Nadal-Rosol rematch on our hands. Not so fast, though, because Rosol is so hit or miss or any given day. Still, he should be able to beat Paire no matter what on Tuesday. The Frenchman has won a grand total of three matches since the Australian Open. Rosol probably wants this one more, too, because he knows he can beat Nadal. Paire on the other hand, is always shark bait for the top players in the world. Rosol 6-2, 6-7(7), 6-1, 7-5.

Joey: This is a battle of very streaky players. Paire, who reached a career-high ranking of No. 24 last year, has a had a rough 2014, winning only six matches after sitting out substantial time with injury. Rosol has also had a bumpy ride this season, holding a 13-15 record at the ATP level. Other than reaching the final of Bucharest, the Czech has struggled. He’s actually done most of his damage at the Challenger level, winning in Dallas and Prague. Both players aren’t afraid to go for their shots, with each having multiple weapons in their arsenal. Paire’s game is suited to grass and you’ll see him in the forecourt often. However, his forehand is a liability and Rosol will expose that over five sets. And let’s be honest; we all want to see a Nadal-Rosol rematch. Rosol 6-2, 5-7, 6-3, 4-6, 7-5.

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Gilles Muller vs. Julien Benneteau

Ricky: The winner of this one, meanwhile, will face Federer in the second round. Benneteau, who had Federer on the brink of defeat at the All-England Club in 2012, has been in mostly dreadful form since strong performances in Indian Wells and Miami. This is the oft-injured Muller’s first tour-level tournament of the year, but he has been cleaning up the Challenger circuit with four titles since late March. He reached a semifinal and a quarterfinal on grass earlier this month. Don’t be surprised if this is another proverbial sixth-setter, not unlike the one Benneteau lost to Facundo Bagnis at Roland Garros. Muller 6-7(3), 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(4), 9-7.

Joey: This match is very exciting in prospect. Muller has quietly stormed back up the rankings this season, winning four Challengers. He had dropped all the way to 364th in the world after shoulder surgery, and at 31 many including myself doubted if he’d ever come back. But he has, and he’s playing very well. He qualified for Wimbledon and all reports from Roehampton were that he was in top form. Meanwhile, Benneteau is looking to recover after a rather brutal five-set loss in Paris to Bagnis. Each guy loves grass, and we might actually see a lot of serve-and-volley tennis in this one, especially from Muller. Ultimately, Benneteau has always been a slightly better player than Muller and he owns the 3-1 advantage in the head-to-head series, so I’m going with the Frenchman. But honestly I have no idea what is going to happen in this; it could go either way. Benneteau 7-6(5), 5-7, 6-4, 6-4.

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Denis Istomin vs. (32) Dmitry Tursunov

Ricky: This is the head-to-head matchup of 2014; not in terms of quality or intrigue, of course, but certainly in terms of quantity. Istomin and Tursunov have already faced each other four times, with the first encounter going to Tursunov and the next three ending with Istomin in the winner’s circle. The Uzbek has already won 21 matches this season (in part because, as usual, he plays more tournaments than just about anyone), including three last week in Eastbourne. Istomin 6-3, 6-7(6), 6-4, 6-3.

Joey: These two know each other’s games quite well by now, as they’ve faced each other four times already in 2014. Istomin has won the last three and has had a solid season thus far, winning 21 matches. Tursunov, seeded 32nd, was probably not very excited when he saw he drew his familiar Uzbek foe. The Russian was forced to pull out of ‘s-Hertogenbosch with an injury and we still don’t know how truly fit he is to play this match. These guys play very similarly, with both trying to be aggressive from the baseline. Istomin had a solid grass tuneup in Eastbourne, so look for him to make it four in a row in this matchup. Istomin 7-6(4), 6-3, 4-6, 6-1.

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(30) Marcel Granollers vs. Nicolas Mahut

Ricky: Granollers is actually a solid all-court player, but this is one of the Wimbledon marathon men he is dealing with here. Mahut is by far at his best on grass, with a runner-up performance at Queen’s Club in 2007 and a pair of 2013 titles to his credit in addition to his 2010 exploits against John Isner at the All-England Club. On this surface, this should be a fun one to watch. Mahut 7-6(4), 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(5).

Joey: You won’t believe the luck: marathon man Mahut could face Isner in the semifinals of Wimbledon! I’m kidding, of course. But Mahut is always very capable on grass, and he took two titles on the turf last year. But this is actually a really bad matchup for the Frenchman, because Granollers return’ game is very strong and he also likes to serve and volley. Granollers’ backhand return has turned into something special and that was on display at the French Open, where he reached the doubles final. The Spaniard is very crafty and will slice and dice his way around the grass. Granollers 7-5, 6-4, 6-7(7), 6-2.

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