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1/5/09 3:07 AM | Ricky Dimon
Andy Roddick is the biggest name in action on Monday in Doha, and he meet heavy underdog Ivan Navarro. Victor Troicki, meanwhile, will do battle with Victor Hanescu.
(4) Andy Roddick vs. Ivan Navarro
While Roddick poked fun at Novak Djokovic last season for having all kinds of injuries, it was actually Roddick himself who limped through 2008 with various physical problems. He did nothing in the slams last season other than a respectable quarterfinal appearance at the U.S. Open, but he still had enough solid results to qualify for the Masters Cup. A title in Dubai and a win over Roger Federer in Miami were the highlights of an otherwise lackluster year. But after an off-season in which he had no reported ailments and hired new coach Larry Stefanki, there is no reason to think the American will have any trouble with Ivan Navarro in his 2009 opener at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open. Navarro, ranked 73rd in the world, reached ATP quarterfinals last season in Newport and Delray Beach. Outside of those performances, the 27-year-old Spaniard was mostly relegated to qualifying draws and Challenger events in search of wins. The grass-court result in Newport notwithstanding, Navarro is almost exclusively a clay-court player. That does not bode well for him against Roddick on the hard courts of Doha. Look for the No. 4 seed to advance comfortably in straight sets.
Viktor Troicki vs. Victor Hanescu
This should turn out to Monday's most intense encounter in Doha. On paper, it looks like a completely even matchup, and not only because of the first-name similarities. Troicki is 6'4'' and registers at No. 56 in the world rankings. Hanescu stands at 6'6'' and is ranked 48th. The big Romanian has a slight edge in the service department, but Troicki can outlast him from the baseline and moves much better. Both men enjoyed solid 2008 campaigns on the ATP tour. Hanescu woke up from a mediocre first half of the season to win a clay-court title in Gastaad one week before making a semifinal appearance in Kitzbuhel. The 27-year-old ended the year by qualifying and winning a round at the Masters Series Madrid, reaching the semifinals in St. Petersburg, and finishing runner-up in a Challenger event. Troicki's emergence came last summer in Washington, D.C., where he stunned Andy Roddick en route to the final. The 22-year-old Serb also reached the third round of the U.S. Open, the quarterfinals of Tokyo, and the quarterfinals of Moscow. Troicki could have a slight mental edge over his opponent, having defeated Hanescu 6-4, 6-1 in the first round of the Masters Series Miami last season. In what could be breakout year for Troicki, look for him to get started on the right foot by pulling out a three-set thriller.
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