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10/9/08 2:30 AM | Cheryl Murray
The resurgent Joachim Johansson will take on top tournament seed David Nalbandian on Thursday while all of Sweden waits to see if Johansson is really injury-free.
Coming off years of struggling with a chronic shoulder injury, Joachim Johansson came back with a vengeance on Tuesday, taking out Frenchman Nicolas Mahut in straight sets and firing twenty aces in the process. After taking nearly all of 2008 off from tennis, Johansson’s ranking has fallen to 771 in the world. This, however, does not mean that he is going to be an easy mark for David Nalbandian.
Nalbandian’s first-round win on Tuesday was essentially as easy as a professional match gets. The Argentine beat American Bobby Reynolds 6-1, 6-1 and spent less than one hour on court. He will be fresh for this second round match. Nalbandian has become known as much for his inconsistent play as he is for his lethal backhand. He is, in turn, capable of beating and losing to anyone on any given day.
Johansson and Nalbandian have never met before this occasion. Nalbandian has the far better groundstrokes, but Johansson’s serve is a fierce weapon. Provided that Johansson’s shoulder is back to 100%, the Argentine will have great difficulty breaking his serve. This match will depend on which Nalbandian shows up and whether or not Johansson is at 100%. Either way, expect it to be tight.
Nalbandian in three.
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David Nalbandian 
If Stockholm Open