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1/12/09 1:38 AM | Cheryl Murray
Feliciano Lopez, Igor Andreev and Tommy Robredo are on tap for first round action at the Medibank International in Sydney.
Feliciano Lopez vs. Jarkko Nieminen
In a particularly difficult first round match-up Spain’s Feliciano Lopez will take on Jarkko Nieminen of Finland. Lopez is one of the few Spanish players who prefers hard court to clay. He has a huge first serve which he uses in combination with a big forehand. Still, despite his relative success on hard courts, he has yet to beat Nieminen in four tries; three of their matches have taken place on hard courts. Nieminen seems particularly adept at targeting the obvious weakness of Lopez’s backhand. Unless Lopez can take care of his weak side, he could face yet another loss to Nieminen. The Finn in three.
Tommy Robredo vs. Jurgen Melzer
Tommy Robredo of Spain and Austria’s Jurgen Melzer are old hands at playing each other. The men have battled six times throughout their careers, and split the wins at three each. Robredo has seen his ranking dip over 2008, from number eleven in January of last year, to his current position of 21. At the tail end of 2008, Robredo lost in the second round in three consecutive tournaments. Melzer had a more encouraging last few months of the 2008 season. He pushed Andy Murray to five tight sets in the third round of the US Open, and then made the quarters in Bangkok and Vienna. Sydney might experience their first upset on the opening day. Melzer in three sets.
Igor Andreev vs. Frank Dancevic
Frank Dancevic, the promising Niagara Falls, Canada native, qualified for the Sydney tournament. His ranking has dipped all the way down to 131 in the world, due in large part to a series of first and second round losses during the summer North American hard court swing. Still, his ranking is deceptive. He is capable of putting together an impressive hard court game – he is most likely not who Igor Andreev would have chosen as a first round opponent. Andreev, of Russia is primarily a clay-courter. His ranking sits at 19 in the world, but most of his points come on the dirt. Still, he is far more consistent than Dancevic. Andreev in two.
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