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  • Hamburg Third Round: Janko Tipsarevic vs. Albert Montanes

    5/14/08 9:05 PM | Ricky Dimon
    - The Hamburg third-round clash between Janko Tipsarevic and Albert Montanes is an all-unseeded affair, but that doesn't mean it won't produce high-quality tennis. Tipsarevic is currently in stellar form and Montanes is always dangerous on clay.

    Janko Tipsarevic and Albert Montanes, both unseeded, will square off on Thursday for a spot in the quarterfinals of the the Masters Series Hamburg. It will be the first-ever head-to-head meeting between the two competitors. While neither player is a particularly huge name in tennis, but both have a lot going for them at the moment and both are quietly enjoying solid seasons.

    Tipsarevic's 2008 campaign did not start so quietly, as he reached the third round of the Australian Open and made noise by losing an epic battle to Roger Federer that went to 10-8 in the fifth set. The Serb has flown more under the radar (at least under the radar compared to that showdown) since then, but he has remained in stellar form. Tipsarevic also made it to the quarterfinals in Zagreb and the quarters at the Masters Series during the spring hard-court stretch.

    The No. 33 player in the world is no clay-court specialist, but he is clearly proving that he can be a force on the slow stuff. His dirt season started off promising, as he won matches against Paul-Henri Mathieu and Nicolas Lapentti in Monte-Carlo before falling to David Ferrer. After a brief two-match losing streak leading up to Hamburg (the second of which was a 7-6 in the third set loss to Fernando Gonzalez in Rome), Tipsarevic has regained momentum on clay. He came back from a set down to storm past Andreas Beck in round one and he did the same thing on Wednesday against James Blake, catching fire over the final two sets.

    Montanes is the essence of a clay-court specialist and once again he is emerging from hard-court obscurity as the tennis season turns to the red stuff. The 5'9'' Spaniard won a Challenger event in Italy last month two weeks ago he reached the quarterfinals in Barcelona, where he fell to Stanislas Wawrinka in a tough three-setter. So far in Hamburg he has destroyed Mardy Fish 6-1, 6-3 and eased past Jose Acasuso 7-6(3), 6-3.

    Tipsarevic is the favorite in this match and he needs to do exactly what he did against James Blake in order to win it. That means taking it right to Montanes; being aggressive on returns and dictating play at or even inside the baseline. Montanes will simply attempt to outlast his opponent on the clay by retrieving everything and sending more balls back to Tipsarevic than the Serb would care to hit. This is Tipsarevic's match to win or lose and if he plays like he did in round two this should be over in straight sets. Don't be surprised, however, if Tipsarevic once again takes a full three sets to get the job done.

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