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  • Monte-Carlo Preview: First Round, Third Quarter

    4/21/08 6:37 PM | Ricky Dimon
    Monte-Carlo Preview: First Round, Third Quarter Some serious clay-court gurus will be in first-round action tomorrow at the Masters Series Monte-Carlo. While the third quarter of the draw certainly does not boast the biggest names, it does host a number of players who could make big noise this week.

    Nicolas Almagro vs. Jean-Rene Lisnard

    This could end up being the most lopsided match of the entire first round. Monaco resident Jean-Rene Lisnard, not surprisingly, was given a wildcard into his hometown event. He won't likely make a long stay out of it. Lisnard is down to No. 238 in the world, he has not played an ATP level event since 2006, and his last ATP match win came two years ago in the first round of this very same Monte-Carlo event. Nicolas Almagro, meanwhile, already has two titles on clay this season and is coming off a runner-up performance in Valencia last week. This one should be a rout in the Spaniard's favor.

    (11) Juan Monaco vs. Hyung-Taik Lee

    On hard courts this would just about be an even battle, but the edge on clay has to go to Monaco. The Argentine is baseline grinder who does not mind spending all day on the court sending ball after ball back to his opponent. Lee, the 32-year-old Korean, is fit and can move surprisingly well for his age, but on the red stuff you have to expect that Monaco will be willing to play long points and eventually wear the veteran down. Monaco already has one final appearance on clay this season, a semifinal finish on hard courts, and most recently he reached the quarterfinals in Valencia. His form would have to fall apart in order for Lee to have a real chance on Tuesday.

    Juan Ignacio Chela vs. Simone Bolelli

    His surprising run to the U.S. Open quarterfinals (aided by a favorable draw) notwithstanding, Chela is pretty much a non-factor on anything other than clay at this point. Even on the dirt the 28-year-old Argentine is slowing down. He reached the semifinals earlier this season in Buenos Aires but got destroyed by David Nalbandian and he is just 1-2 in his two other clay-court events in 2008. Bolelli, a 22-year-old Italian, is starting to make a name for himself, but he is coming off a blowout loss in the first round of Valencia to Potito Starace. Even though Chela is no longer a daunting opponent by any stretch of the imagination, that does not bode well for Bolelli's chances.

    One second-round matchup in the third quarter of the draw is already set and it's an all-German affair between 16th-seeded Philipp Kohlschreiber and Nicolas Kiefer. Kohlschreiber knocked out Jose Acasuso while Kiefer got the tournament rolling on Sunday by defeating Marin Cilic in three sets.

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