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  • Rogers Cup First Round Previews

    7/21/08 6:02 AM | Ricky Dimon
    - The first Masters of the U.S. Open Series gets started on Monday. Mardy Fish, Mikhail Youzhny, and Radek Stepanek headline the action in the second quarter of the draw.

    Mardy Fish vs. Nicolas Kiefer

    These two veterans have not squared off since 2001, when Kiefer blasted Fish 6-4, 6-1 at the Masters Series Indian Wells. Speaking of Indian Wells, that's where Fish's best and only real impressive result of this season came. The American stunned Nikolay Davydenko in round three and Roger Federer in the semifinals before finishing runner-up to Novak Djokovic. Since then Fish has been positively dismal, while Kiefer's season has gone in the opposite direction. The German started out slowly but starting in May he reached the quarterfinals in Hamburg, the semifinals in Halle, and the third round of Wimbledon. A welcomed return to the U.S. hard courts should favor Fish, but he needs to get off to a fast start in order to restore confidence. If that doesn't happen, Kiefer could take this in straight sets before Fish ever gets into the match.

    Andreas Seppi vs. (16) Mikhail Youzhny

    Youzhny leads the head-to-head series with Seppi 2-0 and one of those wins came this year. The Russian ousted Seppi in the second round of the Australian Open with a hard-fought 4-6, 7-5, 6-3, 7-6(4) victory. Youzhny, ranked 17th in the world and No. 13 in the 2008 points race, was playing much better at that point, but he managed to reach the fourth round of Wimbledon so perhaps that will heat him up. Seppi is more fond of clay courts--he reached the semifinals of the Masters Series Hamburg--but he is capable of doing damage on all surfaces. Still, Youzhny is the favorite, has more weapons, and should be able to dictate play with a superior serve and an exquisite one-handed backhand. The last time Youzhny visited the U.S. he became a YouTube phenomenon by bashing his head three times with his racket and drawing blood during the Masters Series Miami. Don't count on such antics being necessary on Monday.

    (11) Radek Stepanek vs. Feliciano Lopez

    Contrary to what their head-to-head history says, this very well could be the best match of the day. Stepanek, however, is a perfect 6-0 against Lopez and has won 13 of 14 sets at the expense of the Spaniard. Nonetheless, they have not faced off since 2006 and Lopez is in fine--albeit inconsistent--form this season. He is ranked No. 23 in the world and his 2008 campaign features a runner-up performance in Dubai and a recent quarterfinal showing in Wimbledon. Stepanek is up to 13th in the world and he is currently at No. 12 in the points race. The Czech should feel comfortable back on the U.S. hard courts, as he reached the final in San Jose and the semifinals in Memphis. If Lopez's huge serve is working he can win this, but if Stepanek gets into a lot of baseline rallies and can force backhand-to-backhand exchanges, he will have the edge. Stepanek in three is the pick.

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