Article

  • Gasquet and Haas to serve up a treat on day 2

    8/26/08 12:26 AM | Ricky Dimon
    - Of all the 64 men's singles matches to be played at the United States National Tennis Center over the first three days of US Open action, this is the matchup that stands out.

    On paper this should be one of the best matches of the early rounds. It's not often that you see two heavyweights clash so early, but Haas has been a dangerous floater in recent years, oscillating his way up and down the rankings list for a variety of reasons. Everyone knows, however, that the German belongs in the top 20, and at his best in the top 10.

    The head-to-heads are enticingly poised at one apiece. Haas took the glory when they met at this stage in the 2006 Aussie Open (6-2, 7-5, 6-2) but Gasquet won an indoor Davis Cup thriller later that year 1-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-7, 6-3.

    Whatever his frame of mind, the enigmatic Gasquet is always a crowd-pleaser with that laser-like backhand and the swashbuckling net tactics. However--Wimbledon 2007 aside--he's found it difficult to hang around at the business end of Slams and has developed a habit of not quite being able to eke out five-setters. Twice he's fallen at that stage in New York, losing first to Ginepri in 2005 (that was a real chance) and then Hewitt. He's been as variable as ever this year but he showed what he can do in Toronto, pushing Nadal to three sets in the quarterfinals. Only he and Djokovic have been able to prise sets from the world No. 1 on the hard courts this summer.

    Haas has been nothing if not consistent at the US Open. Three times he's reached the quarters and the last two years it's been the human wall that is Nicolay Davydenko blocking his path each time. In 2006 Haas lost from two sets to love up and then last year he came in perhaps even as a favorite having saved match points in a 4th-round thriller against James Blake. However he had nothing left for Davydenko, going down tamely 6-3, 6-3, 6-4

    Verdict: Haas' greater hard-court prowess to see him through in four sets.

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Comments

Yep, this is by far the best first-rounder. A shame one will be gone so early.

Gasquet will win it in four. He played well in Toronto and Haas has been awful in 2008.

RickyDimon , 8/26/08 12:28 AM



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