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1/10/09 12:00 AM | Ricky Dimon
A somewhat unexpected final will take place at the Qatar Open on Saturday. It's No. 3 seed Andy Murray vs. No. 4 Andy Roddick for the title.
Move over Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. Saturday's final of the Qatar ExxonMobil Open will feature Andy Murray and Andy Roddick. Nadal and Federer, the tournament's top two seeds and world's top two players, fell to Gael Monfils and Murray, respectively.
Now the stage is set for the eighth career meeting between Murray and Roddick. Murray leads the head-to-head series 5-2, including 4-2 on hard courts. They most recently squared off in round-robin play at last season's Masters Cup, where Murray pulled out a 6-4, 1-6, 6-1 victory.
The Scot went on to go undefeated in the round-robin part of the Masters Cup before fatigue hindered his chances against Nikolay Davydenko in the semifinals. That setback was one of few blemishes for Murray late in 2008. He finished runner-up to Roger Federer at the U.S. Open and also won back-to-back Masters Series titles in Cincinnati and Madrid. The world No. 4 also won an indoor title in St. Petersburg. Murray has carried his scintillating form into 2009. After winning a six-man exhibition event in Abu Dhabi, he has taken out out Albert Montanes, Philipp Petzschner, Sergiy Stakhovsky, and Federer in Doha.
Roddick is also off to a stellar start this week under new coach Larry Stefanki. The American has eliminated Ivan Navarro, Arnaud Clement, Victor Hanescu, and Gael Monfils. It looks like Roddick's confidence is back after a relatively unmemorable 2008 campaign. He limped through a considerable stretch of the season with various physical problems. Roddick did nothing in the slams last year 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.
If these Qatar Open results are any indication, Roddick is in for a resurgence this season. A win over Murray would go an especially long way in the world No. 8's potential return to the top. The chances of that happening, however, are not in his favor. Murray is looking close to unbeatable right now and could even be establishing himself as the U.S. Open favorite. Roddick has been displaying an impressive all-court game this week, but he has to serve huge if he wants to upset Murray because Murray can out-maneuver him from all over the court. A set for Roddick is possible, but look for Murray's hot streak to continue.
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Hope we're not alex.
Vamos Murray! :o)
homos , 1/10/09 12:13 PM
I'm going for Murray. I believe he has the tenacity, especially since he is defending his title.
sstay , 1/10/09 12:22 PM
Murray won..so congrats Murray fans!(that includes myself..lolz)
janhavi , 1/10/09 6:04 PM
and in straight sets too!! well done, murray! all the way to AO!!
Janhavi, it's lovely to see you cheer for murray, and that, as a Federer fan, you are able to support players who have beaten him. with some Fed fans, it seems like they automatically dislike and dismiss anyone who beats Federer.
sstay , 1/11/09 2:21 AM
Well done Murray, he'll go to AO as a fav. Poor Roddick though, but he did well to make the finals at least. Stefanki is a good coach. I'm keen to see the effects this year of their partnership. I just can't see him winning another slam with Murray, Fed, Nadal and Djok around not to mention the up coming ones.
tenstar , 1/11/09 3:58 AM
agree. roddick has been consistent over the years, like Davydenko, but seems to freeze at the big, final stages. I hope he can find the power to go up another notch. he's a nice guy.
sstay , 1/11/09 4:50 AM
Yeah. He should have snatched another slam before Fed became dominant :) (easier said, huh..). I do think he's a nice guy tho I must say I was rather disappointed by his uso words about djok. Oh well, past is past, maybe he was a bit agitated. I hope he can go up a notch too. I just hope the big 4 remain fit and healthy for AO. They all want it badly so we should have some great tennis. Btw, got ed's email ta. I sent a short, quick reply re. the poster. Will write more later.
tenstar , 1/11/09 5:35 AM
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Hope we're not in for an anti-climax - BBC seems doubtful Muzz is gonna make it today, with his back. Must say, I wonder if all these high quality matches - Fed twice, rafa once, blake once, three all-comers and potentially A-rod twice all in the space of 8 days, isn't a bit of an extreme follow-on to 6 weeks of no competitive action. Warming up is one thing ...
alex , 1/10/09 11:35 AM