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  • Miami Round of 16 Preview: James Blake vs. Radek Stepanek

    4/1/08 2:26 AM | Cheryl Murray
    - American James Blake has played some tight matches against Czech player Radek Stepanek. Blake holds a slight 3-2 edge lifetime over Stepanek, but the Czech man won their last match on the hard courts of Los Angeles in 2007.

    Few of their matches have been straight set affairs; the fans will be expecting a battle. Whether they get it or not will depend on whether both men play to their potential.

    Blake has had a good hard court season thus far in 2008. He reached the final of Delray Beach, and a handful of quarterfinals, including a run in Australian Open where he finally went down to Roger Federer. He also reached the quarters in Indian Wells, before losing for the first time ever to an inspired Rafael Nadal.

    Conversely, Stepanek has had inconsistent results this year. He suffered a disappointing first round loss to Vince Spadea at the Australian Open, but made the final in San Jose, where he lost in straight sets to Andy Roddick, and he advanced to the semifinals in Memphis. Though he is ranked 28 to Blake's 9, the two men are quite evenly matched, and each time they play, the win is up for grabs. Stepanek may have the slight edge, given the shock Blake suffered with his first loss to Nadal. Whether it will shake his confidence enough for Stepanek to get a toe hold in the match, remains to be seen. Stepanek in three for the upset.

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