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3/26/09 12:44 PM | Ricky Dimon
Juan Monaco, Juan Ignacio Chela, and Guillermo Canas will begin their 2009 Sony Ericsson Open campaigns on Thursday. Canas headlines the night session on Stadium Court.
Marc Gicquel vs. Juan Monaco
It will be a baseline grind when Gicquel and Monaco square off in the first round of the Masters Series Miami on Thursday evening. Both men do their damage by tracking down all kinds of shots and keeping balls in play. Monaco took that strategy all the way to 14th in the world rankings early last season following a breakout 2007 campaign. Injuries plagued the Argentine last year, however, and he now finds himself at 59th in the world. Monaco recently made an appearance in the title match on the clay courts of Buenos Aires, so he has to be feeling pretty good heading into the Sony Ericsson Open. Gicquel is ranked six spots ahead of his opponent at 53rd. The 31-year-old Frenchman has four wins at the ATP level in 2009, including a quarterfinal finish in Rotterdam and one win in Indian Wells, where he gave Roger Federer a solid test in round two. Hard courts should give Gicquel a slight advantage over Monaco, so look for him to survive in three sets.
Juan Ignacio Chela vs. Bobby Reynolds
This will be the first head-to-head meeting between veterans Chela and Reynolds. Chela is 29 years old and has plummeted to No. 169 in the rankings as a result of both poor play and injuries. The Argentine enjoyed a decent clay-court swing in South America earlier this season but retired in Indian Wells in the second set of his first match while getting blown out by Andreas Seppi. Reynolds is currently at 64th in the world, just one spot of his career-high. The 26-year-old American has three wins at the ATP level in 2009 and he recently advanced one round in Indian Wells. He should be able to win a first-round match at his second straight Masters Series event; Chela's health is in question and Reynolds will have the crowd support in the Grandstand.
Igor Kunitsyn vs. Guillermo Canas
Canas was the story here two years ago when he stunned Roger Federer en route to the final, where he lost to Novak Djokovic. That, however, was when Canas showcased some of the best tennis of his life following a two-year ban for alleged doping. Now, the 31-year-old Argentine is down to No. 89 in the rankings and he has a dismal 1-6 match record so far in 2009. In fact he has not won since prevailing in his first match of the season at the Australian Open. This will be Canas' first career meeting against Kunitsyn. The Russian has also struggled this year (3-7 match record), but is up to a career-high of 37th in the world. He got a big boost when he won a surprise indoor title last fall in Moscow. There will be no surprise title for Kunitsyn in Miami, but he should have enough to outlast Canas in a battle of counter-punchers.
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Igor Kunitsyn
Guillermo Canas
Miami Masters
FEDistheGOAT, Mar 11, 2010 7:39 PM
FEDistheGOAT, Mar 11, 2010 7:31 PM
GoMuzza, Mar 11, 2010 6:32 PM
danica, Mar 11, 2010 2:09 PM
danica, Mar 10, 2010 7:51 PM
FEDistheGOAT, Mar 11, 2010 7:05 PM
GoMuzza, Mar 11, 2010 6:36 PM
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Know who I miss from Argentina? Guillermo Coria! Don't think he was particularly well-liked, but he sure was fun to watch. What is up with him nowdays? Injured?
Rafterfan , 3/26/09 8:42 PM