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  • Robredo kicks off opening night in Madrid

    10/12/08 10:37 PM | Ricky Dimon
    - With the bigger names receiving first-round byes, Tommy Robredo has the task of getting the Spaniards off to a flying start in Madrid. He faces Andreas Seppi.

    Tommy Robredo vs. Andreas Seppi

    Robredo headlines the opening night session, so it will be up to him to give the Madrid faithful what it wants. He should be able to do just that, too, against a slumping Seppi. The Italian's last big win, in fact, came against Robredo in the first round of the Olympics, where he prevailed 8-6 in the third set. Seppi leads their head-to-head series 2-1, although it is one apiece on hard courts. Since Beijing, Seppi has struggled and his last outing was a first-round disaster against Adrian Mannarino in Metz. Robredo has not done much recently, either, but he showed off a stellar hard-court game at the U.S. Open, winning three matches and almost stunning Novak Djokovic. It's debatable that Robredo will even need any help from the fans on Monday night, but they should help him come through in straight sets.

    Simone Bolelli vs. Nicolas Almagro

    Bolelli lost to Steve Darcis in two tiebreakers in qualifying, but he got a lucky loser entry when Marat Safin pulled out with a shoulder injury. He also got a very winnable first-round match in the main draw against Almagro. The Italian leads their head-to-head series 1-0, emerging victorious on the clay courts of Bucharest last season when Almgro retired in the second set. Bolelli has done nothing on hard courts recently, so his chances speak more about the Spaniard's form. Almagro has done nothing to write home about since losing to Gilles Muller in the third round of the U.S. Open. Both of these men prefer clay, but Bolelli is better on hard-courts once rallies ensue. Almagro has a bigger serve, but unless he is putting it in consistently, he will go down in three sets.

    Olivier Rochus vs. Marin Cilic

    Cilic is playing for the first time since the U.S. Open, where he reached the third round before losing a thriller to Novak Djokovic, due to paralysis of a left facial nerve. The injury came at a bad time for the 6'6'' Croat, as he was also carrying the momentum of his first ATP title in New Haven just before the Open. Rochus, meanwhile, has only played Challenger tournaments since New York, so this is a big step up for the 5'6'' Belgian. He did well to win two matches in qualifying, but Cilic in the main draw will be a whole different beast. The score won't be as lopsided as the height difference, but unless Cilic is still suffering physically, he should take care of business in two sets.

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