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  • First-Round Preview: Marin Cilic vs. Mikhail Youzhny

    2/11/08 8:44 AM | Ricky Dimon
    - Two stars of the Australian Open, youngster Marin Cilic and veteran Mikhail Youzhny, will do battle in a brutal first-round match at the Open 13 in Marseille, France.

    Eighth-ranked Mikhail Youzhny in seeded third at this week’s Open 13 in Marseille, but the draw did not do him any favors. The Russian has to face 19-year-old Croat Marin Cilic in the opening round. Cilic has been busy so far in 2008 and he is all the way up to number 39 in the world.

    Youzhny and Cilic have already squared off this season, with Youzhny getting the better of Cilic in one of the season-opening events in Chennai, India. In a semifinal match there, the Russian eased his way to a routine 6-2, 6-3 victory. It was the first time the two had ever played each other.

    Things should be a lot tougher for Youzhny this time around. Both players are on top of their games at the moment, but even though Youzhny’s blowout of Cilic in Chennai is only four weeks in the past, the Croat is playing with much greater confidence now thanks to his run at the Australian Open. Cilic upset 27th-seeded Nicolas Almagro without any trouble in the first round, erased Jurgen Melzer in straight sets in the second, and most impressively overpowered 2007 runner-up Fernando Gonzalez in four sets in the third round.

    Even though Youzhny’s run in Australia was not terribly surprising and therefore not as newsworthy as Cilic’s, the Russian made it a round further than did the Croat. After a routine opening-round win and a bit of a struggle in his second match Down Under, Youzhny really caught fire. He destroyed Ivo Karlovic in straight sets in the third round and then crushed compatriot Nikolay Davydenko 7-6(2), 6-3, 6-1 to reach the quarterfinals.

    This week’s first-round match will pit Cilic’s huge forehand against Youzhny’s flawless one-handed backhand. Cilic used his powerful serve and forehand to overwhelm Gonzalez in Australia and Youzhny’s backhand has frustrated opponents for years. The Russian should have the edge here mainly because Cilic’s serve is arguably his biggest weapon and Youzhny owns one of the best returns of serve in tennis. The 6’5’’ Croat needs to win plenty of free points with his first ball if he wants to pull off the upset in Marseille, but that’s a tall order against Youzhny. Look for the 25-year-old to come through in two sets, but it should be much, much tougher than it was earlier in the year in Chennai.

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