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4/6/09 5:34 AM | Ricky Dimon
The European clay-court swing begins this week in Casablanca, Morocco. Players will be fine-tuning their games at the Grand Prix Hassan II in preparation for Masters Series tournaments and, ultimately, the French Open.
It's not often that a European clay-court title is completely up for grabs, but that will be the case at this week's Grand Prix Hassan II in Casablanca, Morocco.
Why? Because, of course, Rafael Nadal won't be there. The world No. 1, along with almost all of the other top players, is resting after a rigorous streak of two back-to-back Masters Series events in the United States. Nadal--and the rest--will return next week for yet another Masters Series tournament on the clay courts of Monte Carlo.
With the game's biggest stars taking a brief break, Igor Andreev, 21st in the world rankings, leads the way in Casablanca as the top seed. Andreev will contend for the title along with No. 2 seed Rainer Schuettler, No. 3 Albert Montanes, and dangerous unseeded threats Juan Carlos Ferrero (if healthy) and Thomaz Bellucci.
Several potential contenders, however, will be out in the first round. Ferrero has to play a relatively in-form Christophe Rochus in his opener while Ivan Ljubicic will take on Arnaud Clement. Bellucci, who recently finished runner-up to Tommy Robredo on the clay courts of Costa Do Sauipe, Brazil, will meet No. 5 seed Florent Serra.
A new winner will be crowned at the end of the week, as defending champion Gilles Simon is also resting up for more important clay-court tournaments. Andreev has to be considered the favorite to succeed him. The Russian has developed into a solid hard-court player, but his heavy topspin forehand still works best on the dirt. Nonetheless, with a handful of clay-court specialists in the field, don't be surprised if a "surprise" champion emerges in Morocco.
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