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1/8/09 4:05 AM | Ricky Dimon
Andy Roddick and Victor Hanescu will square off in the quarterfinals of the Qatar Open on Thursday. The winner will go on to meet either Rafael Nadal or Gael Monfils.
It will be the fifth career head-to-head meeting between Andy Roddick and Victor Hanescu when the two men face each other in the quarterfinals of the Qatar ExxonMobil Open on Thursday. Roddick leads the head-to-head series 2-0, but they have not squared off since Rodick dominated a clay-court encounter 6-1, 6-0 back in 2006. Roddick's first victory over Hanescu came in 2003 on the indoor hard courts of Paris, where the American prevailed 7-6(4), 7-6(4).
This clash should be closer in competitiveness to the 2003 showdown, because Hanescu is playing some of the best tennis of his life. The 6'6'' Romanian, who has risen to No. 48 in the world rankings, woke up from a mediocre first half of last season to win a clay-court title in Gastaad one week before making a semifinal appearance in Kitzbuhel. The 27-year-old ended the year by qualifying and winning a round at the Masters Series Madrid, reaching the semifinals in St. Petersburg, and finishing runner-up in a Challenger event. So far this week he has had no trouble with Viktor Troicki and Mikhail Youzhny.
Roddick is also looking good in Doha, having taken out both Ivan Navarro and Arnaud Clement in straight sets. It's a good start to 2009 for the No. 4 seed, who is looking to bounce back from a relatively unmemorable 2008 campaign. Roddick limped through a considerable stretch of the season with various physical problems. He did nothing in the slams last year other than a respectable quarterfinal appearance at the U.S. Open, but he still had enough solid results to qualify for the Masters Cup. A title in Dubai and a win over Roger Federer in Miami were the highlights of an otherwise lackluster year. But after an off-season in which he had no reported ailments and hired new coach Larry Stefanki, Roddick should be able to hold his spot in the top ten.
Both Hanescu and Roddick are right at home on hard courts, so the surface should not be a key factor in the outcome. If Roddick serves well, he should be able to overpower Hanescu and advance, but if he doesn't make a high-percentage of first serves he could be in trouble, because his opponent's all-court game has been near flawless this week. Roddick in a tight three-setter is the pick.
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Andy Roddick
Victor Hanescu
Qatar ExxonMobil Open
solitudine, Mar 21, 2010 11:08 AM
Nativenewyorker, Mar 21, 2010 9:30 AM
maxi, Mar 21, 2010 8:37 AM
SenorPlaid, Mar 21, 2010 3:54 AM
zare, Mar 20, 2010 11:51 PM
smr, Mar 21, 2010 12:59 AM
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