2010 Open Sud de France; Preview of the opening two matches on Friday
All the top six seeds will play the quarter final round of the 2010 Open Sud de France Men’s singles competition on Friday, led by the top seed Nikolay Davydenko from Russia. The unseeded quarterfinalists include Jarkko Nieminen
and former top ten Gilles Simon from France.
Nikolay Davydeko and Albert Montanes will play the opening match of the day on the centre court. Nikolay will attempt for his second victory in as many clashes versus Albert. The 29 year old Nikolay won the Doha event earlier this
season after getting the better of world number one Rafael Nadal in the title battle.
The professional tennis player from Russia also successfully made his way into the semi final in Rotterdam, quarter final in Australian Open, Umag, ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Cincinnati and Beijing so far this season. Nikolay
enters with a match record of 26-16 on the year. He has so far won a total of twenty ATP World Tour singles titles in his career. Nikolay is currently ranked number eleven in the South African Airways 2010 ATP list. He triumphed in straight sets in the opening
round of Barcelona seven years ago.
The 1.78 meter tall made his debut on the ATP World Tour back in 1999, and is the second highest ranked Russian behind Mikhail Youzhny in the ranking list. He is playing in the quarter or better on the seventh occasion this season.
World number 23, Montanes who achieved his career high ranking of number 22 back in August this season comes in with a win loss mark of 36-21 on the year. He is appearing in the quarter final or better on the eighth occasion in
2010. The professional tennis player from Spain captured a total of two titles so far this season at Estoril and Stuttgart.
The Spaniard also reached the semi final in Auckland, Buenos Aire and Bucharest, in addition to the quarter final in ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Monte Carlo and Gstaad in 2010.
In the second match of the day, the professional tennis ace from the United States of America, John Isner will take on Gael Monfils of France. The twenty four year old Monfils posted his season best result by making his way into
the final in Stuttgart where the Frenchman was dismissed by Albert Montanes in straight sets.
The right hander who turned professional back in 2004 also successfully advanced into the semi final in Brisbane, Johannesburg and quarter final in Rotterdam, Marseille, ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Madrid, Nice and the United States
Open in New York. He enters with a win loss mark of 36-17 on the season. Monfils is currently ranked number 15 in the South African Airways 2010 ATP list.
John Isner on the other hand, comes in with a match record of 37-21 on the year. The twenty five year old Florida resident who made his debut on the ATP World tour back in 2007 won his first singles title of his career in Auckland
this season after dispatching off Clement in straight sets.
The American has also reached the final in Memphis, Belgrade, Atlanta and semi final in Beijing so far in 2010. World number nineteen achieved his career high ranking of number eighteen back in July.
He leads the pair’s head to head encounter at 3-1 and is appearing in the quarters at 5-0 this season while Monfils who is playing in his tenth quarter final or better on the tour is 4-5 in the final eight.
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