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2/6/09 7:22 AM | Ricky Dimon
In a tournament riddled with upsets, two favored Croats have taken care of business through two rounds. On Friday, Mario Ancic will take on Ivan Dodig and Marin Cilic will meet Antonio Veic.
Ivan Dodig vs. (7) Mario Ancic
It's a dream matchup for the Croatian fans, who will be treated to a very surprising quarterfinal clash. Ancic, of course, was expected to reach this point in the tournament, but to say Dodig wasn't expected to join him here would be an understatement. Ranked 425th in the world, the little-known Croat emerged from an eighth of a draw that included top seed Igor Andreev, Ernests Gulbis, and Dmitry Tursunov. Dodig, who had never won an ATP level match coming into the PBZ Zagreb Indoors, stunned both Andreev and Gulbis in straight sets. This time, however, he won't have the crowd behind him in his upset bid. On the other side of the net will be Ancic, who was once No. 7 in the world and has battled back from injuries to return to the top 30 (he is currently 29th). The 6'4'' Croat is off to a stellar, and injury-free, start to 2009. He won one match in Brisbane, upset Tommy Robredo en route to the Sydney quarterfinals three weeks ago, then reached the third round of the Australian Open by taking out countryman Ivo Karlovic in five sets. Ancic has breezed through his opening two rounds in Zagreb; first over Lukas Lacko and then with a 6-1, 6-1 dismantling of Teimuraz Gabashvili. Right now it's hard to see anyone other than No. 2 seed Marin Cilic stopping Ancic. Super Mario in straights is the easy pick.
Jan Hernych vs. Mischa Zverev
Hernych and Zverev will be squaring off for the second time in their careers, although the first time at the ATP level. They played in a hard-court Challenger event last season and Hernych prevailed in three sets. At the moment, however, Zverev appears to have the edge in current form. The 20-year-old German, who resides in Moscow, enjoyed a stellar 2008 campaign that culminated with two impressive indoor results last fall; he reached the semifinals in Moscow and--after qualifying--reached the quarterfinals in St. Petersburg. Zverev had not won an ATP level match this season prior to Zagreb, but so far this week he has taken out No. 6 seed Andreas Seppi and an in-form Victor Hanescu. He even saved five match points while outlasting the 6'6'' Romanian in a third-set tiebreaker. Zverev is currently ranked 79th in the world, a mere one spot behind Hernych. The 29-year-old Czech did almost all of his damage at the Challenger level in 2008 and he continued to struggle on the ATP circuit earlier this season. He lost in the first round of Doha and the Australian Open and failed to qualify for Sydney. This week, however, he has ousted wildcard Nikola Mektic and No. 4 seed Paul-Henri Mathieu. Armed with confidence from his thrilling win over Hanescu, Zverev should be able to pull out another close one and reach the semis.
Antonio Veic vs. (2) Marin Cilic
This is a battle between two 20-year-old Croats, but that's just about where the similarities end. Veic is ranked 255th in the world and, like Dodig, he had never won an ATP level match prior to this week. Like Dodig, he had only contested one. It's already been a thrilling ride in Zagreb, however, as Veic has come back from a set down in each of his two victories, first over Guillermo Canas and then at the expense of Evgeny Korolev. Cilic, on the other had, is already an established star in the men's game at No. 22 in the world rankings. The 6'6'' Cilic enjoyed a breakout 2008 campaign that was highlighted by his first ATP title in New Haven heading into the U.S. Open, where he reached the third round. Cilic captured his second title earlier this season in Chennai, and he sustained that momentum in the form of a fourth-round showing at the Australian Open. So far this week Cilic has dispatched Frenchmen Arnaud Clement and Florent Serra, both in straight sets. This is where Veic's dream run ends; count on Cilic advancing in straights.
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