Klizan – Simon

Gilles Simon Roland GarrosMartin Klizan takes on local favorite Gilles Simon in the second round of Roland Garros, first match of the daily schedule.

Klizan recorded an easy straight sets win in the first round, but nothing less was expected of him against a guy like Tiafoe. Still, it was a breath of fresh air for Klizan, who was on the back of three consecutive heavy losses against Nishikori (1-6 2-6), Granollers (2-5 ret.) and Dolgopolov (1-6 4-6). The Slovakian player started the clay court season in fashion with a win in Cassablanca, he also reached the semis in Barcelona, but was a non factor in the big tournaments, exiting in the first round in all three clay court Masters events.

Simon has been decent so far on the red dirt, he can clearly do better but he wasn`t bad. Gilles reached the R16 in Monte Carlo and the quarterfinals in Bucharest. He defeated Sock last week in Nice but retired in the second round against Thiem in order to avoid aggravating an injury before Roland Garros. Here in Paris he defeated Pouille in 4 sets, losing the first and than clearly winning the next three.

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The Head 2 Head is 1-0 for Simon, but the sole win was back in 2013 on hard courts and Klizan retired in the deciding set. Neither player holds a matchup advantage here and they both like the surface in Paris, a faster brand of clay.

Simon might not be in his best form, but he might reach it here in Paris, where he always plays well. Gilles showed glimpses of brilliance in the last few months, including taking a set from a red hot David Ferrer in Monte Carlo. Klizan was dreadful in his recent matches and the win against Tiafoe is irrelevant, so you have to go with the better and more stable player here – and that player is Gilles Simon. Klizan is the type of guy that needs his “A game” in order to challenge the top players – he`s dangerous when he`s at the top of his form, not so dangerous when he`s not. He doesn`t have his A game right now.

It might be a close encounter, I don`t particularly expect Simon to cruise here. He might need 4 or even 5 sets but in the end Gillou, with the crowd behind him, will have too much for the Slovakian. My tip is Simon to win, the simple and logical bet – and the odds are dropping on this one. Prediction: Martin Klizan – Gilles Simon 4-6 6-3 3-6 5-7.

Bet365.com provides the best odds on the outright winner market at Roland Garros.

Pick: Simon
Odds: 1.60 @ Pinnacle
Stake: 8
Possible profit: 4.8
Event date: 27 May

About Rostick

Born in '88. Running betting tips websites since 2007. Launched Betdistrict in 2013. Worked as a bookie for a year to spy on the other side. Rugby Union and NBA expert. Editor info & statistics.

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