2010 BNP Paribas Masters: Thursday Preview (Morning Session)
Will the curse of Latvian Ernests Gulbis get American Andy Roddick or will the “A-Rod” end Gulbis’s lucky streak? Roddick fans pray for his health since he faces the “cursed” Gulbis to kick off the third round on Thursday. Gulbis
has faced two professionals in the event so far, Argentinean Juan Ignacio and Russian Mikhail Youzhny. Both players have retired from their matches halfway in the second set with injuries. It seems that Gulbis has some Latvian “hocus pocus” to his side. However,
in-form A-Rod will surely be packing a few tricks up his sleeve too; after all, his run in Paris affects his London qualification, something Roddick takes very seriously.
Gulbis moves into the third round after Russian legend, Mikhail Youzhny pulled out of their second round match complaining of back pain. Roddick moves into the third round after enjoying a straight set win of 6-4, 6-1 over the
qualifier Jarkko Nieminen. Will Gulbis be able to catch a lucky break against another seeded player or will he finally lose to Roddick and exit the event? The pair has met twice before; once in 2008 and then once more in 2009. Both times Roddick defeated Gulbis
making their head-to-head score 2-0 in the American’s favour. Roddick has a year-to-date (YTD) win loss score of 46-14 whereas Gulbis’s season mark rests at 29-19. Based on numbers solely, the predictions are clearly in Roddick’s favour. Though one never knows
when the Fates might spin one more in Gulbis’s favour.
Roddick’s match is followed by two more acclaimed professionals taking to the court. French tennis fans, take your wine and cheese to go and take to the stands to cheer on your local favourite and fitness icon Gael Monfils. Playing
in his hometown, Monfils always looks to entertain his fans in the crowd. Hoping for a befitting finish to a better-than-most season, Monfils looks to grab the title here at Paris. With Jo Wilfried Tsonga out of the tournament with an injury, all of France’s
hopes rest on Monfils to win a title for her.
Monfils faces Spaniard marvel Fernando Verdasco for their third round match. Although Monfils isn’t in the race to London, this is a crucial match for Verdasco, who needs a semifinal run for any chance of playing in London this
year. Monfils has two advantages on his side as he meets the Spaniard on the courts; no London pressure making him nervous and the home crowd advantage. The pair has met only once before in 2008 Monaco, their head-to-head score rests at 1-0 in the French’s
favour. With the year win-loss mark at 42-21 for Verdasco and 41-18 for Monfils, the two professionals stand at almost equal footing this season. Although the London pressure might make Verdasco prone to errors, the drive to level their head-to-head score
might compensate for some (if any) slip ups on the Spanish’s part.
Another important clash is between Austrian Jurgen Melzer and Spanish David Ferrer. Since both professionals are hoping for a London qualification, an exit at this point will be disastrous for both, more so for Melzer. Melzer needs
a title win in Paris if he is to have any hopes of a chance to play in London at season’s end. Having met four times before, the pair’s head-to-head score rests at 3-1 in the Spaniard’s favour. Both professionals have recently won a title each in the last
two months (Vienna (Melzer) and Valencia (Ferrer)), and are in form and can be expected to give a memorable performance at the courts.
Finishing up the morning session will be Serbian icon Novak Djokovic playing local Michael Llodra. Although Llodra enjoys the home court advantage, he will have to bet on more than that if he looks to defeat Djokovic. Having met
only once before on the court in 2007, the pair’s head-to-head score rests at 1-0 in the Serb’s favour. Although both professional hold two titles each this season, Djokovic’s YTD win loss score of 56-15 as opposed to Llodra’s score of 25-20 speaks volume
about the Serb’s superior skill set. Also, since Djokovic seeks to defend his title here at Paris, he will be extra motivated against the unseeded Frenchman.
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