Wednesday is children’s day, but it will also be the day of the French players who will take turns on the central court of the Open Nice Côte d’Azur to secure their spots in the quarterfinals of the tournament. On the agenda are five French players competing for four places in the next round, with Guillaume Rufin and Gilles Simon facing off in an all-French duel.
The first French player to take the court at 11 AM will be Edouard Roger-Vasselin, who will try to defeat Lithuanian Berankis, who knocked out Istomin in the first round. The thirty-year-old Frenchman has already beaten the young Lithuanian this year at the Delray Beach tournament (6/4, 6/3) and hopes to repeat this performance to face the winner of the Querrey vs. Stakhovsky match in the quarterfinals. Next, it will be Paul Henri Mathieu’s turn to tackle the tough Argentine Berlocq. The two have never faced each other in a tournament. The winner of this match will face the winner of the Montanes vs. Hanescu match in the quarterfinals.
Starting at 6 PM, it will be the turn of the local favorite, Gilles Simon, to challenge his compatriot Guillaume Rufin, who came through the qualifiers and impressively defeated Italian Lorenzi yesterday. A French duel ensures a French presence in a quarterfinal where the winner will face the victor of the Andujar/Lu match. Finally, in the early evening, Gaël Monfils will attempt to overcome the resilient Italian Fabio Fognini. The two players have met twice before, at Roland Garros and in Madrid, each winning once. While the Frenchman will have the support of the crowd, the favorite seems to be the San Remo-born neighbor. A good surprise is expected on the Nice center court.
Two other French players will also compete in the doubles quarterfinals on court No. 5 starting at 2 PM, with Nicolas Mahut and Edouard Roger-Vasselin trying to make their way to the semifinals against the duo Qureshi (Pak)/Rojer (Ned).
A day in blue, white, and red on the Nice clay!
Wednesday, May 22 Schedule
Central court starting at 11 AM
[WC] E Roger-Vasselin (FRA) vs R Berankis (LTU)
[3] S Querrey (USA) vs [Q] S Stakhovsky (UKR)
Not before 3:45 PM
C Berlocq (ARG) vs P Mathieu (FRA)
Not before 6 PM
[Q] G Rufin (FRA) vs [2] G Simon (FRA)
Not before 7:30 PM
[6] F Fognini (ITA) vs [WC] G Monfils (FRA)
Court No. 1 starting at 11 AM
F Cermak (CZE) / M Mertinak (SVK) vs J Brunstrom (SWE) / R Klaasen (RSA)
A Montanes (ESP) vs V Hanescu (ROU)
Y Lu (TPE) vs P Andujar (ESP)
Not before 4:30 PM
R Haase (NED) vs [4] J Isner (USA)
M Elgin (RUS) / D Istomin (UZB) vs [WC] P Andujar (ESP) / A Ramos (ESP)
Court No. 5 starting at noon
[3] E Butorac (USA) / L Dlouhy (CZE) vs J Cabal (COL) / R Farah (COL)
Not before 2 PM
[1] A Qureshi (PAK) / J Rojer (NED) vs N Mahut (FRA) / E Roger-Vasselin (FRA) — After Suitable Rest
