RICKY’S PARIS TENNIS PICKS FOR FRIDAY AT ROLAND GARROS – THE FRENCH OPEN 2016 – INCLUDING GASQUET VS. KYRGIOS & MURRAY VS. KARLOVIC

By Ricky Dimon

 

Third-round action at the French Open will begin on Friday, and it should begin with a bang. The Richard Gasquet-Nick Kyrgios matchup has always been a fun one and they will resume their rivalry with a spot in the last 16 at stake. Meanwhile, Andy Murray will hope to avoid another five-setter when he goes up against Ivo Karlovic. Kei Nishikori and Fernando Verdasco are also part of a jam-packed schedule.

 

Ricky previews the matches and makes his predictions.

 

(17) Nick Kyrgios vs. (9) Richard Gasquet

Unlike the case at the other three Grand Slams, the combination of Kyrgios and Roland Garros has never quite produced any real drama. That could change in the third round, when Kyrgios faces a familiar foe in Gasquet. Of their six previous meetings, four of which Gasquet has won, two have been Wimbledon nail-biters. Kyrgios survived 3-6, 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-5, 10-8 in 2014 after saving nine match points, but Gasquet scored revenge with a 7-5, 6-1, 6-7(7), 7-6(6) victory in 2015. They have squared off once this season, when Kyrgios was storming through Marseille and crushed the Frenchman 6-0, 6-4 in the quarterfinals on his way to his first career ATP title.

 

The 21-year-old Australian has advanced so far this fortnight with straight-set routs of Marco Cecchinato and Igor Sijsling. He is an impressive 24-7 this season with semifinal performances in Dubai, Miami, and Estoril plus a quarterfinal showing in Madrid to go along with his Marseille exploits. Gasquet is through to the last 32 by virtue of straight-set wins over Thomaz Bellucci and Bjorn Fratangelo. The world No. 12 is looking to improve on his recent third-round exits in Madrid and Rome, where he fell in straight sets to Kei Nishikori on both occasions. Current form may favor Kyrgios, but he would rather go up against Gasquet once again on either grass or an indoor hard court. In addition to the surface, the ninth seed should benefit from a raucous crowd that will be eager to get itself under Kyrgios’ skin.

Pick: Gasquet in 5

 

(27) Ivo Karlovic vs. (2) Andy Murray

Survive and advance has been Murray’s mantra so far. In his opener against qualifier Radek Stepanek, the world No. 2 recovered from a two-set deficit to prevail 3-6, 3-6, 6-0, 6-3, 7-5. Facing an even bigger underdog on Wednesday in the form of French wild card Mathias Bourgue, Murray escaped with another five-set victory (6-2, 2-6, 4-6, 6-2, 6-3). It was not supposed to be like this for the second-seeded Scot, who surged into the French Open with plenty of clay-court momentum. He reached the semifinals in Monte-Carlo, took out Rafael Nadal en route to a runner-up performance in Madrid, and beat Novak Djokovic to capture the Rome title.

 

A much different type of match than the ones offered by Stepanek and Bourgue will be in store for Murray on Friday. It will not be an unfamiliar matchup, either. The two-time major champion is a perfect 6-0 lifetime against Karlovic, including 4-0 on hard courts and 2-0 on grass. They most recently collided last summer at Wimbledon, where Murray prevailed 7-6(7), 6-4, 5-7, 6-4. Although both men prefer faster surfaces, clay is more conducive to the favorite’s game. Karlovic struggled against unheralded Australian Jordan Thompson in round two, but he still managed to blast 41 aces in a 6-7(2), 6-3, 7-6(3), 6-7(4), 12-10 triumph. The 6’11” Croat preceded that result by beating Albert Montanes 6-2, 7-6(7), 7-6(5). He is still just 6-10 lifetime at this tournament and has never advanced past the third round. Karlovic is unlikely to get over the hump this time against one of the best returners in the sport.

Pick: Murray in 4

 

(5) Kei Nishikori vs. Fernando Verdasco

Nishikori and Verdasco will be facing each other for the fourth time in their careers. Verdasco is leading the head-to-head series 2-1, but he has not defeated Nishikori since 2012 and one of his wins came via retirement. In their most recent meeting at the 2015 Indian Wells Masters, Nishikori battled to a 6-7(6), 6-1, 6-4 win. The No. 5 seed is an even bigger favorite at this point, given the respective form of the two players. Nishikori registers at sixth in the world thanks in part to a 31-9 record for the season, which includes a fourth consecutive title in Memphis, a final run in Barcelona, and semifinal appearances in Madrid and Rome. So far in Paris the Japanese star has rolled past Simone Bolelli and Andrey Kuznetsov in straight sets.

 

Like Nishikori, Verdasco has not yet surrendered a set at Roland Garros nor has he even been extended to a tiebreaker. The Spaniard beat Steve Johnson 7-5, 6-4, 7-5 before ousting Ivan Dodig 6-2, 6-1, 6-3. Verdasco is a relatively respectable 16-10 on the year, but these dominant performances have come mostly out of nowhere. Although his clay-court swing includes a title in Bucharest, it has also been plagued by early exits at five other events. Clearly a confident Verdasco is back on course in Paris, so this one should be competitive. But a red-hot Nishikori will likely be too solid off both wings from the back of the court and should ultimately break down his opponent by dictating rallies and keeping the world No. 52 well behind the baseline.

Pick: Nishikori in 4

 

Ricky contributes to 10sballs.com and also maintains his own tennis website, The Grandstand.

Topics: 10sballs.com, Andy Murray, Atp World Tour, Fernando Verdasco, French Open Tennis, Ivo Karlovic, Kei Nishikori, Nick Kyrgios, RG16, Richard Gasquet, Ricky Dimon, Roland Garros, Tennis News

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