After day one at the Bavarian International was affected by rain, a number of matches, including Jan-Lennard Struff vs Thiago Monteiro and Ernests Gulbis vs Thiago Monteiro, are yet to be completed. That leaves the line up day two packed with talent with the remainder of the first-round clashes also on the schedule. But who will come through to reach the second round and who will fall to defeat?
Diego Schwartzman vs Benoit Paire (first on Center Court)
Though he is not having the best of seasons, it is hard not to consider Argentina’s Diego Schwartzman as one of the favourites for the Bavarian International title. His first test to pass in Germany will be the mercurial Frenchman Benoit Paire in their third meeting. Schwartzman won the first, beating Paire in the second round of qualifying at the Italian Open in 2015. But Paire avenged that defeat last year in Rome, with a 2-6 6-4 6-2 win. He will also surely be full of confidence after his exploits in Barcelona, where he beat Juan Londero and Pablo Carreno Busta to reach the third round.
But he will need to be at his best again against Schwartzman. Though Paire’s powerful first serve and excellent backhand make him a force to be reckoned with on his day, his concentration and decision making can let him down all too often. Schwartzman, one of the better movers in the sport and impressively consistent from the back of the court, is unlikely to give much away. Indeed, in the long run he seems likely to succeed in grinding Paire down.
Prediction: Schwartzman in three
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Philipp Kohlschreiber vs Andreas Seppi (third on Centre Court)
Former champion Philipp Kohlschreiber will take on Andreas Seppi for the 11th time in a battle of the veterans in Munich. The German leads their head-to-head 6-4 and should have the fulsome backing of the crowd when he takes to the court. However, his fitness might be a concern after he withdrew from last week’s Barcelona Open ahead of his first-round clash with Malek Jaziri. Seppi, meanwhile, has endured a frustrating start to the clay-court swing, losing in the first round in both Monte Carlo and Budapest.
However, though both men are surely approaching the end of their careers, both still have plenty of quality. Neither man is blessed with tremendous power, but both are equipped with impressively solid groundstrokes. Kohlschreiber possesses one of the best one-handed backhands on tour and can also use his forehand to good effect. Seppi covers the court exceptionally well and redirects the ball to good effect. But Kohlschreiber is the more natural clay courter and will have the support of the crowd. That should be enough to see him over the line.
Prediction: Kohlschreiber in three
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Kyle Edmund vs Denis Kudla (fourth on Center Court)
British #1 Kyle Edmund will surely be hoping to manufacture a deep run in Munich. He will open his campaign against the USA’s Denis Kudla in the first meeting between the pair. Edmund is yet to find his best form so far on the red dirt this season, losing in the second round in Marrakesh, where he reached the final last season, before falling to a 6-4 3-6 1-6 defeat in the first round at the Monte Carlo Masters. Kudla, however, has lost both of his clay-court matches this season in straight sets.
Edmund’s best shot is his forehand and the Yorkshireman will need it to be firing in Munich. He is able to flatten it out as well as hitting it with heavy topspin, with that variety particularly useful on the terre battue. Kudla does not possess a comparable weapon, but he is solid off both wings and generally covers the court well. However, he may struggle to keep the ball out of Edmund’s hitting zone and the Briton’s greater variety and power seems certain to tip the balance of this contest in his favour.
Prediction: Edmund in two
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Guido Pella vs Mischa Zverev (third on Court One)
Guido Pella is playing the best tennis of his career after reaching back-to-back quarterfinals at the Monte Carlo Masters and the Barcelona Open to add to the title he won in Sao Paolo in March. He will be hoping to continue that fine run of form when he takes on the elder Zverev brother Mischa. It has been a difficult campaign so far for Zverev, who comes into Munich with just one tour-level win to his name. The German has beaten Pella before, picking up a 6-4 6-2 victory in Basel in 2016, but it was Pella who claimed the win in their most recent match, which came in Washington two years ago.
Zverev’s serve-volleying style of play has typically found little success on the slow European clay courts. But he does possess a very effective backhand and a useful first serve. However, Pella does play a more natural clay-court game. The Argentine hits his forehand with heavy topspin, which sends it rearing off the court surface. But he will need to main good depth to keep his opponent pinned to the baseline as if he allows Zverev to attack the net too often, he may find himself in trouble. But in the form of his life, it is hard not to back Pella to beat the struggling Zverev.
Prediction: Pella in two
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