The ATP’s Nice Open tournament proceeds into the quarterfinals on Thursday and so do our tennis picks. On Wednesday, we swept the board at the Nice Open, which combined with our Geneva Open tennis picks made it a 5-1 day for us. Our toughest win of the day came from Andreas Seppi, who needed the full three sets to discard of Paul-Henri Mathieu. He lost the first set prior to sweeping the latter two. We also had Gilles Simon in our selections and he came through for us as expected. He won in straight sets over Taylor Fritz, earning both sets 6-4, 6-4. Lastly, we also had Dominic Thiem on Wednesday to beat Leo Mayer. This proved to be our easiest win of the day as Mayer only won three games. He lost the first set 6-3 and then didn’t win a single game the rest of the way.
Looking ahead, it’s a short hop to Roland Garros next week for the year’s major clay-court tournament, but some other business looms first. There’s an ATP Tour title waiting to be won, and four semifinal berths are on the line. There’s no reason for any players left in the field to hold back.
Adrian Mannarino vs. Guido Pella
This is the least newsworthy quarterfinal, a battle of relatively obscure players who are lower-level journeymen on the tour. Pella and Mannarino both won their second-round matches by scores of 6-3, 6-0. Pella beat American lefty Donald Young, a very impressive showing since Young has made the fourth rounds of majors in recent years. Mannarino came up with a similarly strong result, beating fellow Frenchman Benoit Paire. Ultimately, Paire probably rates as a better win compared to Young. While Young has occasionally done well in a Grand Slam event, Paire is more consistent on a general level (in relationship to Young, but not on a weekly basis; he’s volatile himself). There’s probably more reason to put stock in Mannarino’s win than Pella’s win, so go with Mannarino for your tennis picks in this case.
Pick: Mannarino in three sets
Alexander Zverev vs. Gilles Simon
This should be a very interesting and competitive match. Zverev is a young gun, someone who should compete for titles on tour in three to five years. He has a strong backhand and plays patient defense. He very nearly defeated Rafael Nadal in Indian Wells. He served for the match but lost his nerve and got broken. He ultimately lost at the end of a long and complicated third set. He can clearly bother some of the high-end players on the tour. Simon is not as good as Rafa, but he’s been in the top 20 for a long time. He is a patient and thoughtful player, so Zverev might get roped into a number of long rallies. Simon should be able to play the kind of match he wants to play, and if that’s the case, he should be able to advance. Zverev will make him work, but Simon has always been willing to do some extra work if he needs to, in order to win a tennis match. Take Simon with your tennis picks here.
Pick: Simon in three sets
Dominic Thiem vs. Andreas Seppi
This is a matchup in which the younger legs of Thiem should eventually be able to wear down Seppi. Thiem was not overextended last week in Rome. He lost in the quarterfinals on Friday, so he didn’t have to play deep into the weekend. He was able to win his previous match in Nice by a 6-3, 6-0 score. That lack of a grueling match should leave him fresh for this match. On the other hand, Seppi had to play a long and twisting three-set match against Paul-Henri Mathieu. He lost the first set, won the second, and then survived in the third, 6-4. The difference in each player’s previous match is what should give Thiem a slight and decisive advantage here. Go with him for your tennis picks in this spot.
Pick: Thiem in three sets
