Wednesday at the Moselle Open will cover the remaining first-round matches and a few clashes from the next stage of the tournament. Third seed Benoit Paire will open with a blockbuster clash against fellow Frenchman Richard Gasquet.
Ugo Humbert vs Yannick Maden
Head-to-head: Maden 1-0
Humbert is coming straight off a Challenger victory in Istanbul and drawing Maden in the first round, there’ll be a lot of pressure on his shoulders. The German did well to qualify, beating Frenchmen Manuel Guinard and Nicolas Mahut. The left-handed home crowd favorite will want to continue his run of victories and having received three days of rest since his Istanbul victory, he should be able to do it. The head-to-head win for Maden came in the early stages of 2018 and the progress Humbert has made since cannot be denied.
Prediction: Humbert in 2
Marius Copil vs Gilles Simon
Head-to-head: 1-1
The Romanian had a great indoor season last year, finishing runner-up in Basel to Roger Federer. Simon got just one post-Wimbledon win and was forced down a set to Andrey Rublev in US Open second round. The Frenchman is a quite good indoor player himself and should he be fully fit, he will be able to grind down Copil.
Prediction: Simon in 3
Antoine Hoang vs Gregoire Barrere
Head-to-head: Hoang 2-1
A battle of French wildcards will be on display in the second round of the Moselle Open. Barrere got the more impressive win, smashing Hubert Hurkacz 6-2, 6-2. He’s also been in better shape lately, qualifying and reaching round two at the US Open. Hoang won just 2 of his last 7 matches and has had slightly worse results indoors. With the two Frenchmen playing a very similar game, it should come down to current form.
Prediction: Barrere in 3
Fernando Verdasco vs Filip Krajinovic
Head-to-head: First meeting
It’s been an up and down year for both, Krajinovic had a brilliant period in the spring, while Verdasco has been on a rollercoaster. The Serbian had his biggest career result on indoor hard (Paris runner-up 2017) and the conditions should favor him. This might go both ways and can even be nip and tuck or pretty straightforward. Krajinovic has been just that tiny bit more convincing this season.
Prediction: Krajinovic in 3
Richard Gasquet vs Benoit Paire
Head-to-head: 7-1 Gasquet
Gasquet threw in a had surprisingly loose performance against Marcel Granollers, just managing to fight through it. The substantial lead in the head-to-head might not matter if the 3 years older Frenchman is as low on energy as he way on Tuesday. Paire is playing his 29th tournament of the season but he’s not running on fumes yet and if handed a chance, he will be there to take it.
Prediction: Paire in 3
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