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3/27/08 1:27 PM | David Cox
After his exploits in the desert last week all eyes will be on the unseeded Mardy Fish, can he replicate that amazing run to the final which saw him take out Davdenko, Hewitt, Nalbandian and Federer in successive weeks ?
2008 has been full of surprises, unseeded players ending up in the finals of big tournaments. But apart from Michael Llodra (2 titles) most have proved to be one-week wonders, the likes of Kei Nishikori, Kevin Anderson and Sergei Stakhovsky have yet to replicate their giant-killing exploits. However, Mardy is likely to be a different kettle of fish being a former top 20 player and an Olympic silver medallist. It’s a combination of indifferent form and wrist injuries which saw him tumble to a ranking just inside the top 100 at the start of Indian Wells. 3-4 years ago, those sort of results would not have come as a great surprise
Fish vs Clement
A former top 10 player (back in 2001), these days Clement rarely reproduces the kind of tennis which saw him make an Australian Open final. He now finds most of his success on the doubles court, making the final in Melbourne with Llodra. He won his last match against Fish; 6-3, 6-3 in Sydney 4 years ago levelling their head-to-head 1-1 after the American’s crushing 6-2, 6-2 win in Cincinatti a year earlier. However, Fish should have little to fear this time round, Clement is on an 8 match losing streak in ATPs going back to October and was outplayed 6-4, 6-4 by Olivier Rochus in Indian Wells.
Safin vs Reynolds
Ranked down at 104, Bobby Reynolds came through qualifying to earn a clash with the enigma that is Marat Safin. He caused something of a shock in the final round, taking out the fast improving Donald Young (who was controversially not awarded a wildcard) 6-3, 7-5. Reynolds mainly plys his trade on the challenger circuit but has taken advantage of the predominance of American ATPs since the Aussie Open, a quarter-final in Delray Beach being his best showing. He also qualified last week, losing 3&4 to Young in the opening round. Safin should breeze through this match but these days the streaks of brilliance which earned him 2 slam titles are not often on display and it too often all ends in racket-trashing oblivion. He outplayed Jurgen Melzer for large periods of their rd1 match in the Pacific Life Open but a 3rd set meltdown saw it end 7-6, 2-6, 6-2 to the Austrian. My prediction is Safin in 3 but don’t count on it
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