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  • Preview Copa Telmex: Agustin Calleri vs. Juan Monaco

    2/19/08 4:09 PM | Cheryl Murray
    - Buenos Aires - In what could be the best first round match in the tournament, Buenos Aires resident and number 2 seed Juan Monaco will take on countryman Agustin Calleri.

    Monaco has a 9-2 match record for singles for the season already, and was having a stellar start to the year, making the semifinals in Auckland and the final in Vina del Mar. Unfortunately, he sustained a disastrous ankle injury while playing a doubles match following his semifinal win in Vina del Mar. He was forced to pull out of the tournament without playing the final and Fernando Gonzalez won the title on a walkover.

    It remains to be seen whether Monaco has indeed fully healed from his ankle sprain. Buenos Aires is his home tournament, and as such he is eager to play, so it cannot be assumed that he is playing at 100%. Calleri will certainly probe the extent of Monaco's injury from the start of the match. Expect him to pull Monaco wide and make him run as much as possible. Calleri has not played well during the clay season so far. He's lost in the first round of both Vina del Mar and Costa Do Sauipe. It will be interesting to see how he handles the pressure of playing a potentially injured opponent.

    Calleri actually holds a 3-1 lifetime edge over Monaco, but Monaco won their last encounter at the US Open. Calleri has won their only match on clay back in 2005 in Acapulco, but Monaco is a better player now than he was then. If Monaco's injury has healed sufficiently, he should win the match handily, if not, Calleri will have a real shot at it.

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