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  • Newport round 2: Mahut vs Spadea

    7/10/08 1:33 PM | David Cox
    - The grass season is a case of short but sweet for Nicholas Mahut. The Frenchman rocketed into the top 50 last year on the back of stunning success on the lawns of London and Rhode Island.

    With the outdoor hard swing usually high on toil and low on gain for Mahut, he will be relishing a final chance to make hay this week till the tennis circuit moves indoors

    Last year he went all the way to the final before losing slightly surprisingly to the wily old man of French tennis, Fabrice Santoro, 6-4, 6-4. The grass hasn't been as profitable for Mahut this year, he made the last 16 at Queens but David Nalbandian put paid to hopes of another final appearance and at Wimbledon he lost a 5 set thriller to Tursunov in rd1

    At nearly 34, Spadea doesn't have many years left on the circuit and he will certainly never better his career high of no 18. Success in challengers isn't always guaranteed for the veteran and after a promising start to the year with wins over Stepanek and Grosjean the past few months have been a lean spell. Squandering a 2 set lead over Thomas Johansson at Wimbledon hit him hard but he bounced back here with a battling first round 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 win over the big serving Simon Stadler

    Prediction: These courts really set the best serve-volleyers apart from the rest of the pack. Mahut's one of the best around so he will progress to the quarters in 2 sets

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