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1/4/10 4:37 AM | Ricky Dimon
Marin Cilic will kick off his Chennai Open title defense when he goes up against Igor Kunitsyn on Monday afternoon. Carlos Moya, who missed most of 2009 with an injury, faces a tough first-round matchup with Janko Tipsarevic.
Igor Kunitsyn vs. (2) Marin Cilic
Kunitsyn and Cilic will be doing battle for the first time in their careers as Cilic kicks off his title defense at the Chennai Open on Monday night. Cilic, who beat India's Somdev Devvarman in last year's title match, went 48-21 for his 2009 campaign at finished the season at No. 14 in the world. The 6'6'' Croat reached the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open--beating Andy Murray to get there--and also scored a blowout win over Rafael Nadal en route to a runner-up finish in Beijing.
At the other end of the 2009 spectrum was Kunitsyn, who lost almost twice as many matches as he won last season (16-31). The 28-year-old Russian peaked at a career-high ranking of 35th in the world but he now registers at No. 104. Kunitsyn made it to the St. Petersburg semifinals in late October before wrapping up the year with a straight-set loss to Gilles Simon in the Vienna first round. Count on Cilic cruising through this one in two routine sets.
(WC) Carlos Moya vs. (4) Janko Tipsarevic
Moya will be playing his first ATP match since February of 2009 when he takes on Tipsarevic in the Chennai opening round on Monday. The 33-year-old Spaniard played six matches last season before being sidelined with foot and hamstring problems. Moya has plunged to No. 446 in the rankings and he received a wild card into Chennai, but he has a protected ranking of No. 52 which he can use to enter tournaments for which he does not have a wild card.
Tipsarevic has endured physical problems of his own throughout his career, but he stayed relatively healthy in 2009 and went 30-25 at the ATP level. The 25-year-old Serb comes in at No. 38 in the world, just three spots off his career-high. Even though Moya showed signs of recovery during some exhibition events this offseason, Tipsarevic is clearly a huge favorite in Monday's clash. Moya could steal a set, but look for the No. 4 seed to prevail.
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