Article

  • Monte-Carlo Third Round: Philipp Kohlschreiber vs. Nikolay Davydenko

    4/23/08 9:36 PM | Ricky Dimon
    - In four of the eight sections of the draw the seeds have advanced, and this third-round showdown is one of those. In-form Nikolay Davydenko, the No. 4 seed, will take on 16th-seeded Philipp Kohlschreiber on Thursday in Monte-Carlo.

    Nikolay Davydenko will meet Philipp Kohlschreiber for the fourth time in their careers on Thursday in the third round of the Masters Series Monte-Carlo. Kohlschreiber holds a 2-1 edge in the head-to-head series, including an epic five-set win on clay in Davis Cup play last season.

    Both players have already made headlines in 2008, and for Davydenko it's mercifully been for all the right reasons. Putting the ongoing betting scandal behind him, the Russian stormed to an unlikely title at the Masters Series Miami--and all of that came after saving a match point in his first match of the tournament against Ernests Gulbis! Davydenko kept up the good form last week in his first effort on the dirt, reaching the final in Estoril before retiring to Roger Federer in the second set. His first match in Monte-Carlo resulted in a 6-2, 7-6(5) victory over Simone Bolelli, who was also one of his victims in Miami.

    Kohlschreiber, meanwhile, enjoyed a breakout performance at the Australian Open by ousting Andy Roddick in a third-round instant classic. The German blasted a ridiculous 104 winners en route to winning 8-6 in the fifth set. While his Aussie performance was preceded by a quarterfinal appearance in Doha and a title in Auckland, it's been a struggle for Kohlschreiber ever since. Nonetheless, he has returned to form so far in Monte-Carlo with impressive straight-set wins over Jose Acasuso and Nicolas Kiefer.

    Although Kohlschreiber is looking good at the moment, he is going to have to pick up his game if he wants to pull of an upset here. There's a reason why Davydenko is No. 4 in the world right now, and the reason is simple: he's playing like he's the fourth best player in the world. Kohlschreiber's one-handed backhand must be clicking and he also has to be aggressive with Davydenko's second serves in order to seize an upper hand in as many points as possible. Davydenko should come through this, but tight match seems to be inevitable.

Tell a friend »

Comments

If Kohli can be little more effective on his first serve, he'll win this. Davydenko has got to be tired, and Kohlschreiber has allready proven he can beat Nikolay on clay. It'll likely go three, but this draw has been such a great opportunity for PEHK, I think he's going to the semis against Ferrer!

TATMoose , 4/24/08 3:01 AM



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: