Americans Mardy Fish and Jack Sock will take the court in Winston-Salem on Monday. They are set for respective meetings with Jarkko Nieminen and David Goffin.
(11) Jarkko Nieminen vs. (WC) Mardy Fish
Nieminen and Fish will be squaring off for the second time in their careers when they clash in round two of the Winston-Salem Open on Monday. Their only previous encounter came at the 2008 Australian Open, where Nieminen prevailed 3-6, 7-6(4), 6-3, 6-1. Fish, of course, has been on a wild ride since that meeting. He became a borderline mainstay in the Top 10 before a mysterious heart ailment began plaguing him last summer. The 31-year-old American is a modest 4-4 this season after losing in the Cincinnati first round to Philipp Kohlschreiber and winning his Winston-Salem opener on Sunday in three sets over Evgeny Donskoy.
This is Nieminen’s first match of the week because he earned a bye as the No. 11 seed. The 32-year-old Finn is a respectable 24-19 for his 2013 campaign following a Cincinnati win over Edouard Roger-Vasselin and a loss to Tomas Berdych. He has been in mostly dismal form, however, since the beginning of the grass-court swing. Nieminen has won three of his last 11 matches. Fish will dictate the outcome of the match with his serve and backhand, but his health–as always–is a question mark. In addition to the heart issue, he appeared to be dealing with a left knee problem last week in Cincinnati.
Pick: Nieminen in 3
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(Q) David Goffin vs. (WC) Jack Sock
Goffin and Sock will be going head-to-head for the first time in their careers during opening-round action on Monday. This is generally Sock’s favorite and busiest time of year, when he can get wild cards into American hard-court events. The 20-year-old did just that in Winston-Salem, where he is looking to get on track at the end of what has been a slow summer at the ATP level. Sock won a Challenger title last month in Winnetka then lost in the Newport second round, Atlanta first round, Washington second round, Montreal qualifying, and Cincinnati first round (to Milos Raonic in three sets).
It was a much more productive week in Cincinnati for Goffin. The 22-year-old Belgian qualified for the main draw and advanced to the third round, beating Vasek Pospisil in a third-set tiebreaker along the way. Goffin also made successful qualification over the weekend in Winston-Salem, winning three matches in the span of two days. Sock’s power can be especially dangerous on a fast hard court, but Goffin is extremely match-tough right now and his consistency from the baseline should be the difference against an erratic opponent.
Pick: Goffin in 3
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Mardy retired the match down a break in the 3rd.