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1/21/09 7:59 AM | Ricky Dimon
Rafael Nadal will meet unheralded Roko Karanusic in the second round of the season's first Grand Slam on Thursday. Fernando Gonzalez and Gilles Simon will also be in action.
(1) Rafael Nadal vs. Roko Karanusic
The Australian Open's top seeded could not have asked for a better start to the fortnight. Nadal clobbered Christophe Rochus 6-0, 6-2, 6-2 in his opener and now gets Karanusic, the No. 92 player in the world. To put this in perspective, Karanusic just barely survived Florent Serra in the first round, prevailing 6-3, 1-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3. Nadal has played Serra three times and has won all seven sets in those three meetings, dropping a mere 11 games in those seven sets. Serra is out of the picture now, but that's just another reason why, on paper, this is the most lopsided matchup of the entire second round. Nadal is the reigning French Open, Wimbledon, and Olympic champion and--of course--is the No. 1 player in the world. Karanusic, a 26-year-old Croat, owns 11 career match victories at the ATP level; three in Grand Slams. He has never been ranked higher than 89th. Two weeks ago in Chennai he got crushed by Andreas Beck 6-1, 6-0. Playing on Rod Laver Arena will be a good experience for Karanusic, but it won't be a pleasant one. Nadal will steamroll in three and his opponent would do well to earn more games than Rochus did on Tuesday.
Guillermo Canas vs. (13) Fernando Gonzalez
Both Canas and Gonzalez are coming off five-set wins in the first round. Canas came back from two sets to one down against Dieter Kindlmann to survive 7-5 in the final set. Gonzalez, much to the chagrin of the Australian faithful in Rod Laver Arena, turned back Lleyton Hewitt 5-7, 6-2, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3. It was an impressive victory for Gonzalez, who is still a solid 14th in the world at 28 years old. His 2008 campaign was highlighted by titles in Vina Del Mar and Munich, a quarterfinal appearance at the French Open, and a silver medal at the Olympics. Canas is 31 years old and finally seems to be on the decline. The Argentine struggled for much of last season after a brilliant year in 2007, which included two shockers of Roger Federer. These two competitors have met twice before and Canas holds a 2-0 head-to-edge head. He most recently defeated Gonzalez at the Masters Series Miami last spring. Now, however, it's the Chilean who is showing much better form. Look for Gonzalez to move through in four sets.
Chris Guccione vs. (6) Gilles Simon
The Aussie fans may have seen Hewitt go down, but they still have Guccione, among others. The 6'7'' Australian dominated Nicolas Devilder 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 in the first round. Guccione, however, will be dealing with a much different Frenchman this time around. Simon is ranked eighth in the world after a surprising breakout 2008 season that saw him win a titles in Casablanca, Indianapolis, and Bucharest, a runner-up finish at the Masters Series Madrid, and semifinal performances at the Masters Series Canada and year-end Masters Cup. Guccione reached the Sydney final last January but struggled to win any ATP matches at all the rest of the season. Simon eased past Pablo Andujar in three sets on Tuesday and he will be heavily favored in this round-two contest. Guccione's big-serving, all-or-nothing style will not match up well with Simon's stellar return game and incredibly consistent play. Guccione is capable of stealing a set if he's enjoying a great serving day, but Simon should advance.
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