2/18/10 5:47 AM | Cheryl Murray
France’s Gael Monfils and Rotterdam champion Robin Soderling will take the court as the second round wraps up in Marseille.
Gael Monfils vs. Andreas Seppi
France’s Gael Monfils drew a tricky first round opponent in Italy’s Andreas Seppi. The Italian is ranked 46 in the world, and he is quite capable of putting together a good tennis match. The bad news for Seppi is that he is at his best on clay courts. The fast indoor surface in Marseille can only help Monfils. The Frenchman has played a lot of tennis since the Australian Open; he made the semifinals in Johannesburg and the quarters in Rotterdam. Monfils is in his third tournament in 3 weeks. While fatigue could be a factor, Monfils should have enough left in the tank to get past Seppi.
Robin Soderling vs. Sergiy Stakhovsky
Sweden’s top player Robin Soderling comes into Marseille off his first title of the season in Rotterdam. The Swede started the year terribly, losing in the first round of both the Australian Open and Chennai. That all changed in Rotterdam last week. The Swede snagged an impressive win from Nikolay Davydenko of Russia in the semifinals before taking out Mikhail Youzhny in the final. Stakhovsky might not be in any shape to compete yet. The Ukrainian was forced to withdraw against Novak Djokovic in the opening round in Rotterdam.
Soderling has too much game for the No. 69 ranked Stakhovsky. The Swede in straight sets.
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