2011 Regions Morgan Keegan Championships: Quarterfinalists - Part I
The 2011 Regions Morgan Keegan Championships, held in Memphis, will be drawing to a close over this weekend. The ATP World Tour 500 series event has been one of the integral parts of the circuit for several years now, and this season is no different. The
qualifying rounds and first and second rounds of the tournament have been played, and eight quarter-finalists have been decided. This recap offers information about these players, and their performance at the Regions Morgan Keegan Championships so far this
year.
Mardy Fish
World Number 16 Mardy Fish of America is seeded fourth at this local tournament. The 29-year-old has been part of the ATP Tour since 2000. His most notable achievement came in 2004 at the Olympic Games, where he won the Silver medal in tennis.
Mardy Fish played his first round match against Russian tennis pro Teymuraz Gabashvili; he scored an easy victory over the World Number 75, winning the opening round 6-1, 7-5.
After this victory, he was pitted against Slovakian player Lukas Lacko, who had defeated Dudi Sela of Israel 6-7(5), 7-5, 6-3 in the first round.
Fish ousted Lacko in three competitive sets, winning the match 6-7(5), 6-4, 7-6(3). He will now compete against fifth seed and compatriot Sam Querrey.
Robert Kendrick
Robert Kendrick is currently ranked World Number 110, and he is one of the eight American tennis players who took part in the Memphis tournament. The 30-year-old player joined the ATP circuit in 2000, but has not won any ATP career titles yet.
Kendrick, who is one of the qualifiers at Memphis, played his first match against World Number 40 Kevin Anderson. He ousted the South African in three sets, winning the match 5-7, 6-3, 7-6(4).
Kendrick’s second round match was against compatriot James Blake, who gained entry into the Memphis event as a wild card. Blake set up the match against Robert Kendrick after defeating Brazil’s Ricardo Mello in straight sets 6-4, 6-3.
The American qualifier defeated Blake in straight sets, winning their second round match 7-6(5), 6-3 to make it to the quarterfinals against Canadian prodigy Milos Raonic.
Michael Russell
Michael Russell is an American professional tennis player who turned pro in 1998, and has been playing on the ATP Tour for over 12 years. The right-handed player is currently ranked World Number 100, and his highest ranking is Number 60 (which he reached
in 2007). His most significant achievement came in 2001, when he qualified for the fourth round of the French Open.
The player is one of the two qualifiers at Memphis, and played his first-round match against Croatian tennis pro Ivo Karlovic. Russell won the match in straight sets 6-1, 7-6(1).
His second-round match was against Florent Serra, who made it to the next round after Xavier Malisse of Belgium retired at 6-2, 1-0. Russell made short work of the player, defeating Serra 6-4, 6-4. He will now compete against wild card Juan Martin Del Potro.
Part II will cover Andy Roddick, Sam Querrey and Lleyton Hewitt.
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