The third edition of the Nice Côte d’Azur Tennis Open will start next Saturday, and all eyes will be on the French delegation, which could see one or more of its representatives make it to the final four. Nice native Gilles Simon, who will be playing at home, and Richard Gasquet, already a winner in 2010, are the legitimate favorites, but you never know…
Many players present at the Nice Open are playing on the Roman clay courts throughout this week. Richard Gasquet has just defeated Austrian Jürgen Melzer in two sets (6/1, 7/6 [6]), qualifying for the second round, where he will face an Italian, Paolo Lorenzi (96th ATP), who has just accomplished the feat of ousting Russian Davydenko in three sets (6/3, 2/6, 6/3). This match should be within the Frenchman’s reach, and he might even encounter his compatriot Gilles Simon in the previous round.
Gilles Simon has just eliminated another contender at the Nice Open, American David Young (49th ATP), with scores of 6/2, 7/5, and now must overcome Spaniard Garcia Lopez, who defeated his compatriot Andujar in two sets (6/4, 6/1), before facing another Spanish player, David Ferrer, who knocked out another compatriot, Verdasco, in two sets (6/3, 7/6 [3]). It’s a tough Spanish mission, but far from impossible for Simon, who recently won the Bucharest Open against Italian Fabio Fognini after his semifinal loss to Rafael Nadal in Monte-Carlo.
As for other French players like Nicolas Mahut, Edouard Roger-Vasselin, Florent Serra, and Benoît Paire, their preparation for the Nice Open will take place on the clay courts of Bordeaux. For the first aforementioned, it’s a first-round match against Argentine Mayer, for the second, a duel with Russian Gabashvili, and for the last two, a Franco-French duel opposing them.
A French-French final is not just a sweet dream for this third edition of the Nice Côte d’Azur Open. Another reason not to miss the event!
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