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  • Rotterdam First Round Preview: Top Half of the Draw

    2/19/08 11:40 AM | Ricky Dimon
    - There have already been some big surprises after just one day at the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Will the upsets keep coming as play continues in the first round?

    (1) Rafael Nadal vs. Dmitry Tursunov
    Other than the intriguing matchup between Marcos Baghdatis and Robin Soderling, this has to be considered the best pairing of the first round in the top half of the Rotterdam draw. Surprisingly, this is the first time Nadal and Tursunov have met head-to-head. The top-seeded Spaniard has played two tournaments this year, both on hard courts, and achieved success at both. He was runner-up (lost to Mikhail Youzhny) in Chennai and then reached the semifinals of the Australian Open (lost to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga). Tursunov has always been an up-and-down player and so far his 2008 campaign has been no different. The Russian sometimes just doesn’t show up, but he can just as easily catch fire at any time and his talent is undeniable. Tursunov is a dangerous opponent—especially in the first round—and if his monstrous forehand is working, Nadal could have some trouble.

    Jarkko Nieminen vs. Fernando Verdasco
    This is the fourth meeting between these two veterans; two have been contested on hard courts (on which they’ll be playing in Rotterdam) and two have come in Grand Slam events. Nieminen won both of the big ones, first at Wimbledon in 2003 (five-setter in the first round) and then in 2005 at the U.S. Open (straight sets in the fourth round). Verdasco got revenge last summer in New Haven with a 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 victory. The Finn is playing better tennis at the moment, having reached the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open. Although Verdasco owns just a mediocre 3-3 match record so far in 2008, the left-handed Spaniard has a huge forehand that can single-handedly win any match when it’s clicking.

    Feliciano Lopez vs. Gilles Simon
    It looks like an even matchup on paper for what will be the first-ever head-to-head meeting between Lopez and Simon. The Spaniard is ranked 37th in the world right now and the Frenchman is just one spot ahead at No. 36. Simon is coming into this event with a little bit more momentum, as he reached the third round of the Australian Open and then upset a weary Novak Djokovic en route to the quarterfinals of last week’s Open 13 in Marseille. Lopez, meanwhile, is just 1-3 so far in 2008. Nonetheless, if the lefty’s fearsome serve-and-forehand combination is in rhythm, Lopez will be the one dictating play in this match.

    In another notable first-round matchup, Lleyton Hewitt will take on Andreas Seppi. The Italian already has a win over Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and a Challenger title on his 2008 resume, but if Hewitt is lucky enough to make it through, he will take on the winner of Tursunov and Nadal in the second round.

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