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7/11/11 3:13 AM | Ricky Dimon
A modest opening day of play in Bastad features Tommy Robredo and Filippo Volandri. Robredo is looking for his first match win since the Monte-Carlo Masters.
The SkiStar Swedish Open kicks off on Monday, but the top four seeds have byes to the second round so it will take a while for the action to heat up. In fact, the opening day of play is so modest that Robin Soderling's practice session is listed on the official order of play.
Later in the afternoon, main-draw action will begin with the eighth career meeting between veterans Tommy Robredo and Filippo Volandri. Not surprisingly, all seven of their previous encounters have come on clay. Robredo leads the head-to-head series 4-3, but they have not faced each other since the Spaniard prevailed in straight sets at the 2007 French Open.
As their past history against one another suggests, both players are at their best on the slow stuff. Volandri owns eight ATP match victories this season, and seven have come on clay. The 29-year-old Italian, a one-time semifinalist at this event (2007), registers at No. 87 in the world rankings as of Sunday.
Robredo is a stellar 18-6 for his 2011 campaign, but he has played only one match since mid-April due to injury. The world No. 33 retired in the third round of the Monte-Carlo Masters and missed the remainder of the clay-court swing before falling to Yen-Hsun Lu in his Wimbledon opener.
Mainly because of potential rust, an upset of the No. 5 seed is very possible in this one. Volandri is always a force on this surface--and on this surface alone--so look for him to prevail after three competitive sets.
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