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  • Berdych hoping conditions will give him the edge in round 2

    10/29/08 3:13 AM | David Cox
    - The results haven't quite come for Stanislas Wawrinka recently. Twice he's lost in final-set tiebreaks, but he has the chance to end the year strongly this week in Paris, where he's seeded 12th.

    The head-to-head is neatly poised at two apiece. Wawrinka enjoyed a great comeback win in Indian Wells this year after getting totally outplayed in the first set, 2-6, 7-6, 6-4 and it turned out to be a good run for the Swiss. However, Berdych won their last indoor match, in Basel last year 7-5, 6-4.

    It's hard to predict, as both have superb backhands; Berdych's being his big strength. The Czech has the bigger serve but Wawrinka is a little more willing to come forwards which can make quite a difference indoors. The indoor hard courts in Paris favor the more aggressively-minded players as Tim Henman and Radek Stepanek have shown in recent years.

    Wawrinka's still in contention, barely, for Shanghai, but his chances have taken a hit in recent weeks so he must do something special in Paris. Close first-round losses in Vienna and Basel (both in final-set tiebreaks) haven't helped, nor did a 6-4, 6-4 defeat to Feliciano Lopez in Madrid. He'll be looking to establish himself in the top 10 over the next six months, he needs some of the form he found on the clay to carry over to other surfaces.

    With Berdych having already played a match in Paris, beating Ginepri 6-4, 7-5, it could give him a slight edge. Conditions are quite different to those in Basel, where both played last week; the bounce is much higher and it's a little faster.

    Prediction: Berdych in 3

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