Article

  • Tennis Channel Open Second Round Preview

    3/5/08 7:15 AM | Ricky Dimon
    - With most of the seeds, big names, and fan favorites advancing past the first round of the Tennis Channel Open, it sets up a blockbuster second round and beyond for the Las Vegas faithful. Marcos Baghdatis and Robby Ginepri headline the next slate of matches, but almost every matchup looks appealing on paper.

    (1) Fernando Gonzalez vs. Evgeny Korolev
    The top-seeded Gonzalez looked strong on Tuesday in a 6-2, 7-6(2) win over Dudi Sela, garnering revenge for a Davis Cup setback last September. Korolev, a 2007 semifinalist in Las Vegas, came through a day earlier with a hard-fought 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 over Sergio Roitman. Gonzalez has the edge in this one in terms of talent, recent form, and head-to-head record (although they have only played once before, back at the 2007 Australian Open where the Chilean prevailed in four sets). While Gonzalez is just now coming back from a minor abdominal injury that sidelined him for a month, he won the last tournament he played; a clay-court event in Vina del Mar, Chile. Korolev, however, is a dangerous 20-year-old Russian who can take advantage if Gonzalez loses his rhythm. We all know that Gonzo can either be amazing or horrendous on any given day. Either way, he completely controls the destiny of this contest.

    John Isner vs. Kevin Anderson
    Isner advanced with a come-from-behind victory over Alejandro Falla on Tuesday. It wasn’t pretty, but the 6’9’’ American deserves credit for fighting back after a 4-6 setback in the first set to take the next two frames 6-3, 6-4. Anderson benefitted from a hobbled Michael Llodra’s fatigue (Llodra has already won two tournaments this season) to upset the No. 6 seed 6-2, 7-6(2). Both competitors were attended to by a trainer in the second set. The Isner-Anderson showdown is a rare occasion where two college graduates are squaring off on the ATP Tour. Both finished up their collegiate careers last May, and not surprisingly their paths crossed at the NCAA Championships in Athens, Georgia. In the individual competition, Anderson lost in the semifinals and Isner was runner-up (both lost to Virginia’s Somdev Devvarman). In team play, Isner’s Georgia Bulldogs clobbered Anderson’s Illinois squad to win the title and Isner defeated Anderson 6-1, 7-6(1) at the No. 1 slot. Isner won’t have a raucous home crowd behind him this time, but he still has the edge.

    (8) Nicolas Kiefer vs. Sam Querrey
    Querrey just barely escaped a tough first-round matchup with veteran Frenchman Sebastien Grosjean. The big-serving American prevailed 6-2, 4-6, 7-6(8) in two hours and four minutes and saved one match point at 7-8 in the third-set tiebreaker. Kiefer got past German compatriot Benjamin Becker 6-4, 6-3 on Monday. The injury-plagued Kiefer has played just three matches in 2008, whereas Querrey already boasts a fairly solid 8-6 match record this season. This is the first-ever head-to-head meeting between Querrey and Kiefer, who are 10 years apart in age (Querrey is 20, Kiefer is 30). The youngster, one of the most prolific servers in tennis, should be able to control the match with his serve, but Kiefer owns a solid return and likes to take balls early so he should be able to make this one extremely competitive.

    Also in action will be Lleyton Hewitt, who destroyed Marat Safin in the opening round. The Australian should be able to keep it up against Julien Benneteau, a routine winner over Jonas Bjorkman. Two other Aussies have also made it safely into the second round. The big-serving Chris Guccione will take on Guillermo Canas while qualifier Peter Luczak faces Ernests Gulbis. The 19-year-old Latvian, a three-set winner over Nicolas Massu, has the edge in raw talent, but Gulbis is like Gonzalez and Safin in that you never really know what you’re going to get.

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: