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  • Monfils vs. Petzschner for BA Tennis Trophy title

    10/11/08 9:44 PM | Ricky Dimon
    - The end of a wild week in Vienna is upon us, and Gael Monfils will clash with Philipp Petschner in a surprising final on Sunday afternoon.

    Gael Monfils will contest his first ATP title match of the year on Sunday at the Bank Austria Tennis Trophy, while Philipp Petzschner takes part in the first ATP final of his young career. It will be the second meeting and second in two weeks, however, for the two competitors. Monfils got the best of Petzschner 7-6(6), 6-4 in the Bangkok quarterfinals.

    The good news for Petzschner is that Monfils spent two hours and 51 minutes on the court with Philipp Kohlschreiber in a 6-4, 5-7, 7-6(2) semifinal win. That was the Frenchman's only real taxing test of the entire week. He took out Alexander Peya in round one, then crushed Radek Stepanek before upsetting No. 2 seed Fernando Gonzalez in straight sets. The bad news for Petzschner is that Monfils could not be hotter at the moment. The No. 8 seed is up to 28th in the rankings and 24th in the 2008 race despite missing considerable time with injuries, thanks to impressive runs at the French Open, the Olympics, and in Bangkok.

    Petzschner is far less accomplished than Monfils, but he is enjoying a strong stretch of tennis at the moment. He reached his first ATP quarterfinal of the year in Bangkok two weeks ago and has been outstanding so far in Vienna. Undaunted by the tough draw, the German stunned top-seeded Stanislas Wawrinka in the first round and has also taken out Jan Hernych, Carlos Moya, and Feliciano Lopez.

    Petzschner will have to work extra hard against Monfils, who is arguably the fastest and most athletic player in the game. The underdog will have to hit more shots than he has in any match all week and that will be especially tough to do amidst the pressure of a first-ever ATP final. Petzschner should be able to serve his way to one set, but experience will help Monfils gut out another grueling three-set win.

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