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  • First-Round Open 13 Report: Bottom Half of the Draw

    2/14/08 1:07 PM | Ricky Dimon
    - The bottom part of the Open 13 draw produces a couple of great matches and even more spectacular individual performances, but the whole complexion of the draw is shaken up by the early exit of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. The Australian Open runner-up is stunned by Mario Ancic in straight sets.

    (6) Marcos Baghdatis vs. Arnaud Clement
    As expected, Baghdatis prevailed in straight sets by a 6-3, 6-4 score. The story of this match was the effectiveness of the Cypriot’s first serve and the Frenchman’s inability to capitalize on Baghdatis’ second serve. Baghdatis only put 46 percent of his first balls in the court, but he won 22 of 23 points with it. Clement, meanwhile, won just eight of 27 points when he got a look at a second serve. Baghdatis, who enjoyed seven break chances in the match while facing and saving just one, should face a much stiffer test in the second round against Ivo Karlovic.

    Feliciano Lopez vs. Ivo Karlovic
    What’s new? Yet another match featuring the 6’10’’ Karlovic went all the way to a third-set tiebreaker. There were only two break points and one break of serve the entire afternoon. Not surprisingly, both were in favor of Karlovic. The giant Croat secured his break in the second set to take it 7-5 and force a third. Ultimately his serve was just too much for Lopez in the decisive set. Karlovic served at 70 percent (and a whopping 72 percent for the entire match) and won 24 of 26 first-serve points to capture the third set by a 7-4 margin in the tiebreaker.

    (7) Jo-Wilfried Tsonga vs. Mario Ancic
    So much for Tsonga building on any momentum he had from his remarkable run at the Australian Open and from France’s first-round Davis Cup victory over Romania. The 22-year-old was dispatched in straight sets at the Open 13 by Mario Ancic, who was just returning from an injury. Tsonga was clearly unable to maintain the same standard he set in Australia, but part of the reason for that was Ancic. The 6’5’’ Croat was able to dictate play with his serve (he put in 75 percent of his first balls and won 90 percent of those points) and huge forehand. Tsonga’s 11 aces were the main reason he was able to make the match so competitive.

    Ancic was not the only player just making it back from an injury to pull of a first-round upset. Swede Robin Soderling stunned Australian Open quarterfinalist Jarkko Nieminen 7-5 in the third set. In the second round Soderling will meet second-seeded Richard Gasquet, a 6-3, 6-3 winner over Simone Bolelli.

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