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2007-10-11 11:44:23
Filip Prpic, Michael Ryderstedt and Björn Rehnquist in the second round of the same ATP event. Even the most optimistic Swedish tennis fans probably didn’t think that was possible. With several of the big names having withdrawn, this year’s If Stockholm Open has given the opportunity to players who aren’t used to shine on this level. Prpic scored his first ever ATP win by defeating Oscar Hernandez in the first round. This win should not be exaggerated, as Hernandez is a very weak player on all surfaces but clay. The Spaniard has never won a professional match on any other surface, and was by far the best draw possible for Prpic. Amazingly, Hernandez ranking has risen to No. 48 this year, but indoors I wouldn’t rank him in the Top 500.
Rehnquist, who won the Australian Open juniors eleven years ago, is a true grinder in every aspect. The ever so hard fighting 29-year old has been traveling around the world for the past nine years trying to grind his way up on the lower levels, always showing great composure and a great will to improve his game. Therefore, it was fantastic news when I heard that he got the opportunity to replace Verdasco and play Vince Spadea in the first round. The win against showman "Vinnie the rapper" was only Rehnquist’s second win on this level, and he has a tough task on hand Thursday facing Mario Ancic.
When the draw was announced, Michael Ryderstedt was given one of the toughest draws possible, taking on Spain’s Top 10 player David Ferrer. However, Ferrer won in Tokyo and with next week’s important Masters Series event in Madrid, some of us thought a withdrawal would be likely. So it happened. Danish veteran Kenneth Carlsen replaced Ferrer, and Ryderstedt won the battle of lefties in straight sets.
The organizers are probably very disappointed about the lack of stars in this year’s tournament. But the opportunities that this has resulted in to the lower ranked Swedes are very important to Swedish tennis, with its lack of depth of the moment. Stockholm Open 2007 has become the home event it used to be, with Swedish players featured in four straight matches on Center Court today.
Here in Moscow, a grunting contest took place yesterday, when the two worst players in that aspect took on each other. Viktoria Azarenka from Belarus has been a constant improver the last year, and downed two year older super diva Maria Sharapova in straight sets. Sharapova is not as popular as some would think here in Russia. Having been to a lot of tournaments in the US, I know that the American market is where Sharapova has most of her fans. She has become too Americanized to be liked by the general crowd in Russia, and there were certainly mixed reactions when the No. 2 seed lost in her opening match.
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