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  • Davydenko leads Russian wave at Kremlin Cup

    10/6/08 5:29 AM | Ricky Dimon
    Davydenko leads Russian wave at Kremlin Cup A host of Russians will be looking to please the Moscow crowd at this week's Kremlin Cup. Nikolay Davydenko, Dmitry Tursunov, and Marat Safin headline the action.

    With three tournaments taking place this week, players have a smorgasbord of options in terms of where to take their talents. As a result, it’s no surprise that the Kremlin Cup in Moscow will have a distinct Russian flavor. Nikolay Davydenko is the top-ranked player on hand and he is joined in the seeded ranks by fellow Russians Igor Andreev (No. 2), Mikhail Youzhny (No. 3), Dmitry Tursunov (No. 5), and Marat Safin (No. 7). Igor Kunitsyn, who reached the semifinals of the Legg Mason Classic this summer, and Teimuraz Gabashvili could also thrill the crowd with strong showings, although Gabashvili and Youzhny have to square off in round one.

    In the top half of the draw, Davydenko should have no trouble getting to the quarterfinals, where he could meet Safin. Unless Safin comes out of nowhere for a rare incredible performance, Davydenko appears poised to breeze into the semis. Youzhny, No. 8 seed Janko Tipsarevic, and Viktor Troicki have the best chance of preventing the No. 1 seed from reaching the final.

    It could come down to two Russians and two Frenchman in the other half. Potential semifinal showdowns are Andreev vs. Tursunov and No. 6 seed Michael Llodra vs. No. 4 seed Paul-Henri Mathieu. Andreev is in the midst of a great season, but Tursunov is better on fast hard courts. Tursunov is coming off a title in Metz, France on Sunday as he beat Mathieu in a three-set final showdown. Llodra won two indoor titles at the beginning of 2008, but Mathieu is riding the momentum from Metz. Unseeded Robby Ginepri could make some noise in the bottom section of the draw, but he is not in especially good form at the moment, so look for the seeds to advance.

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Comments

Don't discount the brilliance of Safin

bridgie , 10/6/08 8:52 AM



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