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10/31/11 2:06 AM | Ricky Dimon
A tough first-round matchup in Valencia features Gilles Simon and Nikolay Davydenko. The two veterans have faced each other on six previous occasions.
Gilles Simon and Nikolay Davydenko will be squaring off for the seventh time in their careers when they do battle in the first round of the Valencia Open 500 on Monday afternoon.
Simon is dominating the head-to-head series 5-1, including 4-0 on hard courts. The Frenchman has won five in a row against Davydenko, having prevailed most recently with a 7-6(6), 6-4 victory earlier this year in Marseille.
Both players are struggling to find their form as the season comes to a close. For Davydenko, that is nothing new. The 30-year-old Russian has been below par throughout his 2011 campaign, heading into this week with a modest 24-23 record. He reach the Moscow semifinals thanks to bye and a favorable draw, but he lost last week in the Vienna opening round to Steve Darcis.
Simon is a solid 39-24 for the year, but he has been slumping ever since a fourth-round loss to John Isner at the U.S. Open. The world No. 12 lost his openers in both Beijing and St. Petersburg, with an upset at the hands of Matthew Ebden in the Shanghai third round in between.
While past history and current form suggest a routine win for Simon, his display against Adrian Mannarino last week in St. Petersburg was far from impressive. A streaky Davydenko obviously has a chance, as he can get hot at any moment. Simon in a three-set baseline battle is the pick.
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