2011 Qatar ExxonMobil Open: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Nikolay Davydenko sail into the second round
Seeded players Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Nikolay Davydenko sailed into the second round after enjoying straight-set victories in their first round matches at the 2011 Qatar ExxonMobil Open on Monday. The two professionals are currently
playing at the season opener Doha event which is being held at the Khalifa International Tennis Complex this week.
Taking to the courts first was third seed Tsonga as he returned to tennis after an injury-plagued 2010. Suffering from back pains but mostly because of his knee, Tsonga ended his 2010 season prematurely after failing to defend
his title at Montpellier, losing it to compatriot Gael Monfils. Ranked thirteenth in the world, Tsonga finished the season with no title wins or any final appearances registering a win-loss mark of 31-16.
Delighted to return to tennis, Tsonga gave an excellent performance in his opening clash against Spaniard Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo. Ranked a good sixty-four places above his opponent, Tsonga secured a victory for himself in less than
an hour with ten aces and only one double fault. Losing only eight points on service, Tsonga was able to enjoy a straight set victory over the Spaniard. Although Hidalgo put up some fight in the opener, Tsonga was able to win the first set 6-2. He continued
his form into the second set enjoying an easy win. Tsonga goes on to face wildcard entrant Sergei Bubka later on in the event.
Excited about his return and delighted over the win, Tsonga said, "I played a good match [and] I feel really good. I'm completely fit. I'm maybe healthier than before. I just want improve my tennis, improve my game and stay at
the top of the world tennis."
Another seed beginning his title run in the event on Monday was defending champion Nikolay Davydenko. A veteran at the Doha event, Davydenko will make his sixth appearance at the event, having debuted in 2005. After enjoying semi-final
and quarterfinals runs from 2005-2008, Davydenko finally caught a break in 2010. Defeating Roger Federer in the semis and then Rafael Nadal in the final, Davydenko won his first crown of 2010. His title win at 2010 Doha made him the only player other than
David Nalbandian to defeat the top two in one event. Playing at Rotterdam, Davydenko injured his wrist. Although this did not put him out of play, it continued to plague him throughout the season, costing him a spot at the season finale event.
Davydenko began his title defence on Monday as he was pitted against Italian Fabio Fognini. Serving six aces and committing only one double fault, Davydenko was able to sail to a breadstick win in the first set before wrapping
up the second with a 6-4 victory. Losing only ten points on service, Davydenko got off to a superb start at Doha enjoying a straight set victory in only sixty three minutes.
Hoping to win his second title at Doha, Davydenko said, “For sure it is nice to be back in Doha. The New Year is important for me to win matches and get my confidence back to return to the Top 10. I won here last year and I like
this tournament. If I have good results, why not come back here again and again. Now I have no injury, it is important to play well again.”
Already enjoying a 2-1 lead in the career head-to-head, Davydenko extended his lead over the Italian after winning the first round match at Doha. Their last meeting on the court came in 2010 when they met at the R32 of the Montreal
Masters with the Russian emerging as the victor. Davydenko goes on to face Jarkko Nieminen or Michal Przysiezny.
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