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1/3/10 11:52 PM | Cheryl Murray
The first day of action at the Exxon Mobil Qatar Open will feature Ernests Gulbis, Ivo Karlovic and Mikhail Youzhny.
Ernests Gulbis vs. Albert Montanes
Latvia’s Ernests Gulbis had a dismal 2009 season. The young upstart was considered one of the sports promising new stars; he made the quarterfinals of Roland Garros in 2008 but has made little noise since. The Latvian has seen his ranking languish around the 100 mark, and he currently sits at No. 90 in the world. His first-round opponent in Doha is Albert Montanes, the solid Spanish clay courter who is ranked a career-high No. 31. Despite the difference in ranking, Gulbis will not be a huge underdog going into the match. The Latvian finally showed signs of life at the end of the 2009 season, even making a couple of quarterfinals in Tokyo and St. Petersburg. If he continues that kind of form, Gulbis could be looking at a good upset win.
Mikhail Youzhny vs. Sergiy Stakhovsky
Hard-hitting Russian Mikhail Youzhny struggled mightily for the first half of 2009. He saw his once top ten ranking slide to 72nd in the world in July. He came on late however, with a final showing in Tokyo, a win in Moscow and another final in Valencia. Youzhny holds a 1-0 head-to-head advantage over opponent Sergiy Stakhovsky from the Ukraine. Stakhovsky is ranked 60th in the world. He enjoyed the best result of his career at the end of last season in Moscow, where he came through qualifying to win the tournament. Stakhovsky is a tricky first-round opponent, but Youzhny should get past him.
Fabio Fognini vs. Ivo Karlovic
Ivo Karlovic, the towering Croat with the booming first serve, will take on Italian clay-courter Fabio Fognini on Monday in Doha. Karlovic is a tricky opponent on hard courts even for the very top players. For a player like Fognini, who depends heavily on his defensive skills to win matches, taking on Karlovic will likely be an exercise in frustration. The Croat permits little rhythm in a match because points rarely last more than three shots. If Karlovic serves well, Fognini will have few chances to gain purchase in the match. Karlovic in straight sets.
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I hope Fognini gets the better of Karlovic because his serves simply puts a spanner in the works, when we want to see real matches, not just booming serves. I feel Fognini has a chance, because Karlovic has lost match recently inspite of serving 78 aces, so there is hope yet.
carrie , 1/4/10 9:00 AM
So agree carrie, Karlovic is so boring to watch. One of the best moments in tennis last year was when Hewitt defeated him. The sight them both at the net after the match was truly bizarre.
deuce , 1/4/10 11:00 AM
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Gulbis destroyed Monty in last year's Aussie Open first round, but I will be surprised if he wins a set this time
RickyDimon , 1/4/10 4:41 AM