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6/8/11 4:25 AM | Ricky Dimon
Three days after winning the French Open, Rafael Nadal will be back on the court when he goes up against Matthew Ebden in the Queen's Club second round on Wednesday. Juan Martin Del Potro is also in action as he faces Igor Kunitsyn.
(1) Rafael Nadal vs. (Q) Matthew Ebden
Nadal is bidding for his second career title at this event as he takes the court for the AEGON Championships. The top-ranked Spaniard prevailed at Queen's Club in 2008, but he missed it due to injury in 2009 and lost to Feliciano Lopez in a 2010 quarterfinal upset. Just as he did three years ago, Nadal heads to London off another title at the French Open. He is now 43-6 on the season, which includes titles in Monte-Carlo and Barcelona in addition to his Roland Garros triumph.
Up first for Nadal this week is Ebden, who is already in the midst of one of his best ATP tournaments. The 168th-ranked Australian qualified for the main draw and then won his fourth career ATP match by defeating Somdev Devvarman in straight sets on Tuesday. Ebden is playing with confidence, but it won't help the underdog that this is his first-ever look at Nadal on the other side of the net. Count on the No. 1 seed dominating in two routine sets.
(12) Juan Martin Del Potro vs. Igor Kunitsyn
Del Potro and Kunitsyn will be squaring off for the third time in their careers when they do battle in the Queen's Club second round on Wednesday. Both of their previous encounters came in 2007, with Del Potro prevailing 6-2, 6-0 in Adelaide before scoring a 6-2, 7-5 victory on the grass courts of Nottingham. Kunitsyn will be hard-pressed to turn the tide, as he is in mediocre form at the moment. The 72nd-ranked Russian garnered his fifth ATP match win of the season when he won the first set 6-4 and saw Alex Bogomolov retire during a second-set tiebreaker.
Kunitsyn is not at his best on grass, but neither is Del Potro. Still, the 6'6'' Argentine took care of business in a 6-4, 6-2 dismissal of Denis Istomin in round one. He is now 30-7 for his 2011 campaign; a mark all the more impressive that he missed most of 2010 due to wrist surgery. Del Potro struggled with a thigh issue against Istomin, but he should beat Kunitsyn in straight sets if he is anywhere close to 100 percent.
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Huh?
Don't see any remark about clay on the last paragraph... maybe it's been updated already...
Shireling , 6/8/11 2:42 PM
I hope Rafa takes it super easy............I do not trust those wet lawns
rafaisthebest , 6/8/11 6:04 PM
Yeah, last year, he tore a hamstring!
Our lad from Manacor is always taking risks but I guess that's what makes him great.
Fortune favors the brave!
holdserve , 6/8/11 7:03 PM
Ebden gave a good account of himself. Next for Rafa is Stepanek.
nadline , 6/8/11 9:13 PM
rafa was a tad stiff in this match...did some stretching between the points...said in his interview after the match that he is more tired than usual....all very understandable...all we want is rafa to reach wimby in the best shape as possible...don't know if he is being wise by playing doubles too...
vrael , 6/8/11 9:21 PM
yeah, Rafa said he is tired and I am sure he is...but he played a pretty good match...he did not go for every shot and the young Ebden did show he knows something of tennis so overall Rafa did just enough to win...this is a worming up tournament so whatever Rafa does and no matter how deep he goes he will be just fine. It was nice to hear those commentators on Eurosport praising Rafa both as a tennis player and as a person...and they think Rafa made great transition to the grass...I loved the way Rafa is standing close to the baseline and going more to the net...he just needs some more practice to sharpen his game and that is exactly what he is doing...Vamos Rafa!!!
natashao , 6/8/11 9:47 PM
as others mentioned.. if he was not playing doubles he'd be practicing hard ...
I assume he likes to play doubles here especially to help practice his volleying on grass, and to further help the transition to grass
chlorostoma , 6/8/11 9:50 PM
Shireling - I edited it after CindiT pointed it out
RickyDimon , 6/9/11 4:43 AM
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Ricky...I am trying to understand your remark about clay in the last paragraph. Did you mean grass, or was there a mention of a previous encounter on clay that I somehow missed? Thanks.
CindiT , 6/8/11 5:25 AM