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  • Thailand Open first round: Viktor Troicki vs. Fabrice Santoro

    9/23/08 11:22 PM | Ricky Dimon
    - An all-unseeded showdown could end up being the most entertaining on Day 2 in Bangkok. It's in-form Viktor Troicki against crafty veteran Fabrice Santoro.

    It will be the first-ever meeting at the ATP level between Viktor Troicki and Fabrice Santoro when the two players do battle in the first round of the Thailand Open. They squared off twice, however, in Challenger events last season and Santoro emerged victorious in both. Santoro dominated Troicki 6-3, 6-0 on clay and then scraped out a narrow victory on hard courts 7-5 in the third.

    This time he will be facing a much different Troicki. The Serb has made a name for himself over the past nine months with a breakout 2008 campaign.Troicki is currently at a career-high ranking of 65th in the world. Season highlights have been a surprising runner-up performance in Washington, D.C., where he upset Andy Roddick in the quarterfinals, and two wins at the U.S. Open, where he gave Rafael Nadal a tough battle in the third round. At 6'4'', Troicki wields a big serve and punishing groundstrokes, and he also moves extremely well for a big man.

    Santoro is different from Troicki at the moment in just about every way. The 35-year-old is still capable of winning at the highest level, but his career his on the way down, of course, as opposed to on the way up. That's been evident this season. Santoro won a title in Newport to really bolster his 2008 stats, but other than that--and especially of late--it has been a struggle. Lowlights include a drubbing by David Ferrer at the French Open in which Santoro won just one game, and the Frenchman took just six games from Andy Roddick in a loss at the U.S. Open.

    Santoro will almost certainly be more competitive against Troicki on Wednesday. He will try to combat Troicki's power by changing up speeds with frustrating spins and slices. That style has worked for Santoro throughout his career, but its effectiveness declined this year and Troicki should be brimming with the confidence necessary to take any punches Santoro throws at him. Look for the Serb to come through in two tight sets.

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Comments

Victor will have to prove he belongs to the top 20 players.

arailic , 9/24/08 12:00 AM



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