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  • Dev Varman and Kendrick in action on Thursday at Legg Mason

    8/14/08 8:14 PM | Ricky Dimon
    - Somdev Dev Varman and Robert Kendrick will play the primetime match in Washington D.C. on Thursday night. American Bobby Reynolds is the headliner on the Grandstand.
    Viktor Troicki vs. Bobby Reynolds

    Troicki crushed Denis Gremelmayr on Tuesday and Bobby Reynolds sent No. 7 seed Marc Gicquel packing with a three-set victory on Monday. There is little difference between these two competitors in both ranking (Troicki: 93, Reynolds: 88). The Serb is 6’4’’ but still likes to do most of his work from the back of the court. This second-round clash should be a baseline war, as Reynolds will also gladly stay there all day. Look for the pro-Reynolds American crowd to pull him through in three sets.

    Robert Kendrick vs. Somdev Dev Varman

    Both Kendrick and Dev Varman are coming off huge first-round victories. Kendrick upset Feliciano Lopez in straight sets on Monday, and Dev Varman scored his first career ATP match win with a three-set triumph over Taylor Dent. Kendrick is 114th in the world and Dev Varman is at No. 314, but the former University of Virginia star has the edge in both head-to-head meetings and current form. Dev Varman, the NCAA singles champion in both 2007 and 2008, won four Futures and Challengers events right out of college and he beat Kendrick 6-3, 6-3 en route to the Lexington Challenger title a few weeks ago. If Kendrick serves like he did against Lopez he can turn the tide this time around, but Dev Varman is on fire right now and he will take this in straights if he plays well.

    Igor Kunitsyn vs. Fabio Fognini

    Fognini ousted Marat Safin in round one, in part (although it’s hard to say for sure) due to an apparent Safin neck injury. The Russian called it quits after dropping the first set 7-5. Kunitsyn had to spend far more time on court, recovering from a first-set tiebreaker loss to defeat Mischa Zverev in three. These two men are separated by just two spots in the rankings (Fognini is 82nd, Kunitsyn is No. 84), but Fognini has enjoyed a slightly better 2008 campaign. The Italian has done most of his damage on clay whereas Kunitsyn is better-suited for the hard courts of D.C., but Fognini is on the rise and his momentum should continue after three tough sets.

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