Wild card Stan Wawrinka is coming off a nice win over Brandon Nakashima and will face Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the Stockholm second round on Thursday. Andrey Rublev is going up against Alexandre Muller.
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina vs. (WC) Stan Wawrinka
Wawrinka is looking to turn back the clock at the Nordic Open and perhaps capture his 17th–and final?–ATP title. Any 250-point tournament gives him a chance, although a stacked field in Stockholm makes that a difficult proposition. Wawrinka has already navigated one difficult test, defeating No. 6 Brandon Nakashima 6-4, 6-4 in the first round on Wednesday. It was a much-needed win for the 39-year-old Swiss, who is just 7-14 on the main tour this season and down at 217th in the rankings.
Up next for Wawrinka on Thursday is a first-ever meeting with Davidovich Fokina, who advanced with a 7-6(2), 6-2 victory over Thiago Agustin Tirante. The 64th-ranked Spaniard is by no means in great form, but his game generally works well on relatively quick hard courts. It’s also worth noting that Davidovich Fokina has not lost to anyone ranked lower than No. 62 in the world since the Rome Masters in May. He should have the edge in this one–certainly from a physical standpoint if it turns into a long match.
Pick: Davidovich Fokina in 3
(1) Andrey Rublev vs. Alexandre Muller
Rublev is in Nitto ATP Finals contention and needs every single point he can get, which explains why he is playing an ATP 250 event this time of year. The Russian currently occupies the eighth and final spot in the race, 275 points clear of No. 9 Alex de Minaur. Rublev has been all over the place this year but has remained in the top 10 of the rankings thanks to a pair of Masters 1000 final appearances (title in Madrid, runner-up in Montreal).
The 26-year-old will kick off his Stockholm campaign against Muller, who won their only previous encounter 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 this spring on the red clay of Rome. Muller has continued to play well, with a third-round showing at the Shanghai Masters and an opening win this week at the expense of Leo Borg. This is a very winnable match for the 70th-ranked Frenchman, but a motivated Rublev may have just enough firepower to secure a quarterfinal spot.
Pick: Rublev in 3
