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2/9/09 8:27 AM | Cheryl Murray
Dmitry Tursunov and Feliciano Lopez kick off a star-studded field in Rotterdam for the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament.
Feliciano Lopez vs. Julien Benneteau
Feliciano Lopez is one of the few Spaniards who can claim that his best surface is something other than clay. He has a lethal first serve/forehand combination that makes him a serious threat on hard courts. His start to 2009 has been less than encouraging; he was ousted from the Australian Open in the first round by Gilles Muller of Luxembourg. Julien Benneteau's year has not been much better. He also faced a first-round defeat in Melbourne at the hands of Marcos Baghdatis. In this matchup, Lopez has the clear advantage. The indoor courts in Rotterdam are lightening quick, and Benneteau's game is far more suited to slow clay. Lopez in straight sets.
Dmitry Tursunov vs. Arnaud Clement
Russia's Dmitry Tursunov will take on the French veteran Arnaud Clement in the opening match on Monday. Surprisingly, the two men have never played each other. Clement's ranking has plummeted to 80 in the world; he was forced to qualify for the event. The 2001 Australian Open finalist has recently been splitting his time between the Challenger tour and the main ATP tour. Tursunov's start to 2009 has not been encouraging. His first three tournaments resulted in three first round exits, including an upset loss to 138 ranked Flavio Cipolla at the Australian Open. Unless he comes out and hits nothing but unforced errors, Tursunov should be able to navigate to the second round.
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For Benneteau, better is relative. They've both been dreadful of late, tbh.
cherylmurray , 2/10/09 1:37 AM
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Benneteau's 2008 French Open notwithstanding, I think he is way better on hard courts than on clay. I probably wold have picked Lopez in this one, but not surprised Benneteau came through. Lopez has been dreadful of late.
RickyDimon , 2/9/09 4:49 PM