Article

  • ABN AMRO preview: Mikhail Youzhny vs Janko Tipsarevic

    2/18/08 12:12 PM | David Cox
    - A battle of backhands awaits in the first round of ABN AMRO in Rotterdam when Youzhny will take on Tipsarevic.

    It’s the first meeting between these two players, both big risers in 2007. 3 ATP finals and some consistent performances in the slams enabled Youzhny to establish himself among the world’s elite while Tipsarevic, known as “the beard from Belgrade,” went from playing the challenger circuit at the end of 2006 to the top 50.

    At the moment there’s a ranking deficit of 35 places between these players, Youzhny is up to no 8 in the world after a fabulous start to 2008 and Tipsarevic is ranked 43. Youzhny started the year in fine style, winning Chennai (including a drubbing of Rafael Nadal in the final) and then making the Aussie Open quarters before losing to that man Tsonga. Last week he was outplayed in the Marseille quarters by Baghdatis, very entertaining match but Youzhny made too many errors to push the Cypriot to 3 sets.

    Tipsarevic’s start has been marred by injuries, he came a couple of points from a huge upset against Roger Federer in rd3 of the Australian Open before the world no 1 eventually clinched it 10-8 but last week he had to retire at 5-6 down in rd1 of the Belgrade challenger, Tipsarevic’s home tournament. It’s believed that the injury wasn’t serious and he’s fully recovered for this one

    Youzhny is the defending champion here in Rotterdam after a stunning giant-killing run. He beat Ferrer, Djokovic (saving match point in the second set tiebreak before winning 7-5 in the 3rd) and Ljubicic in successive matches to take the title. If he’s to defend his title this year, he’s likely to have to beat Rafael Nadal who’s in his half. In contrast, Tipsarevic went out 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 in rd1 to Olivier Rochus.

    This match will be something of a “battle of the backhands,” Youzhny’s single-hander is among the most stylish in men’s tennis while to the eye, Tipsarevic’s isn’t quite as effortless, instead he muscles the ball into the gaps but it’s a great double-hander down the line. Both players are shot-makers, capable of hitting winners from all over the court and have great defensive games too.

    The difference between them in the rankings is probably down to mental toughness (Youzhny is one of the toughest competitors on tour) and week-in, week-out consistency - while Youzhny is regularly in the latter stages of tournaments, Tipsarevic rarely produces his very best. He’s capable of beating the best in the world on his day (Gonzalez and Murray both fell to him last year) but is equally capable of going out in rd1 to a journeyman.

Tell a friend »

Comments


Write comment

You have to be logged in to comment. If you do not have an account, click here to register. It only takes a minute and you'll be redirected back to this page.
Username:

Password: