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  • Llodra looks to serve and volley into the Halle quarterfinals; Youzhny-Kiefer also to square off

    6/12/08 10:36 AM | Jonathan Morgan
    - Michael Llodra is one of the pure serve and volley players left in the game today and his style is best suited to this grass surface. Kiefer has also had fantastic grass results in the past. He take on Youzhny.

    Michael Llodra vs. Steve Darcis

    Darcis made his name known last summer in the Euro clay swing, but proved he can play on the faster surfaces by winning the Memphis event back in February, beating Soderling no less in the final. Llodra has had a great year, winning two titles already employing his net rushing serve and volley style. Watching him is a throwback to the 90's era of tennis when most players had that game. Llodra is having the best year of his career and has reached a career high rank of 35 this past week. On a slower surface, perhaps Darcis' baseline/counterpuncher game will have a shot vs. Llodra, but on this slick grass, Llodra will have the edge.

    Mikhail Youzhny vs. Nicolas Kiefer

    This match proves to be a shot-making high aggresion grass court match. Youzhny has flat shots all around, from serve to baseline and can volley if needed. Kiefer will have the German crowd's support as he brings his game to the court. He will look to dictate play more on the forehand of his, a world class shot. Both have had good grass court results in the past, Kiefer's perhaps a bit stronger. These two have met 4 times prior, but none on clay. Youzhny leads 3-1, but Kiefer won the most recent meeting, last year in Madrid, on an indoor hard court. This is an even match, but Kiefer might be able to ride the home German crowd to the victory.

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