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  • Preview: Mikhail Youzhny vs. Nikolay Davydenko

    1/19/08 7:13 PM | Ricky Dimon
    - It’s an all-French affair in one fourth-round matchup of the draw’s third quarter, and it’s an all-Russian affair in the other. Mikhail Youzhny and compatriot Nikolay Davydenko will slug it out in what looks like will be one of the most hotly-contested matches in the entire fourth round of the Australian Open.

    The top two Russians in the world have moved safely through three matches at the Australian Open and they will face each other in the fourth round on Saturday. Considering the way Mikhail Youzhny and Nikolay Davydenko have been playing recently, this contest should produce some spectacular high-quality tennis.

    Youzhny made a grand entrance into Melbourne Park with the momentum of a huge tournament victory in Chennai, highlighted by a 6-0, 6-1 blowout of Rafael Nadal in the final. At the Australian Open he has picked things up right where he left off. Youzhny rolled over Mathieu Montcourt in straight sets in the first round then got past an in-form Andreas Seppi in a fourth-set tiebreaker. Things really got good in what was supposed to be a scintillating third-round clash with Croat Ivo Karlovic, as Youzhny rolled to an emphatic straight-set victory.

    The ever-solid Davydenko, meanwhile, has not dropped a single set through three matches Down Under. He has made quick work of in-form Michael Llodra and Frenchmen Nicolas Mahut and Marc Gicquel. Davydenko is a staple in Grand Slam quarterfinals, so a loss here in the fourth round would be a big disappointment.

    Youzhny, however, has the game to pin such a loss on Davydenko. The 14 seed owns one of the best returns of serve in the game, and the serve is Davydenko’s main weakness. If the 4 seed is not putting an extremely high percentage of his first balls in the court, it could be a long day for him. Youzhny will be looking to jump all over second-serve opportunities. Davydenko will be content to stay on the baseline all day long and try to wear his opponent down, whereas Youzhny will try to force the issue and dictate play with his deadly one-hander off the backhand side.

    These two veterans have met three times over their careers and Davydenko has won all three, including two on hard courts. His most recent victory over Youzhny came last summer in the Masters Series Canada. Youzhny, however, is playing at a different standard right now, so this fourth and biggest meeting between the two players should be fiercely competitive.

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