Tomas Berdych vs Jurgen Melzer – Opening Round Preview: China Open 2011
World number 10, Tomas Berdych of Czech Republic, will begin his China Open campaign against the 21st ranked Austrian, Jurgen Melzer, in the opening round encounter on Tuesday afternoon.
The contest will be staged on the National Tennis Stadium of the Olympic Green Tennis Center in Beijing, People's Republic of China, with the winner getting a berth in the second round of the ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals)
World Tour 500 event.
Seeded at number three in the tournament, Berdych is among the strongest contenders for winning the championship in Beijing. The former world number six has dropped four places in the past one year due his inconsistent form but
his exceptional tennis abilities still make him the hot favourite for Tuesday’s contest with Melzer.
Berdych is also a strong candidate in race for the final four berths in the ATP World Tour Finals in London. The Czech is having a dry season so far, not winning a championship title in the running year. He won 42 of the 60 singles
matches he took part in and suffered defeats in 18, depicting his incoherent form this season.
Berdych has reached the quarter-finals or better in 13 ATP events this year, which include six semi-final berths but not getting to the final for a single time. The Czech pulled off due to injuries in his last two tournaments (Cincinnati
Masters and the US Open) but has claimed to be perfectly fit for the China Open campaign.
Rated at number eight in the ATP World Rankings in April, Melzer’s deteriorating form has thrown him down to number 21 in six month’s time. The Austrian has been struggling to get his rhythm in throughout the running season and
is riding a 20-20 winning record so far. Melzer has three ATP singles titles under his belt but like Berdych, he is also having a dry season until now.
The left-handed Melzer can always be the trickiest player on court and his angling cross-court strokes are his primary weapons of destruction. The Austrian is straining hard to get his eye in the game and his Tuesday’s matchup
against Berdych is of a vital importance. Melzer is having a 50 per cent winning ration this season and needs some assertive victories to get back his confidence.
Both men first met each other in 2005, with each contestant registering a victory to have a 1-1 record. Their last meeting took place in 2007, when Melzer outclassed Berdych, 6-2, 6-4, in the quarter-final clash in Sydney, to lead
2-1 over the Czech in the head-to-head series. The Austrian will certainly desire to replicate that feat on the hard courts of Beijing on Tuesday and needs to come up with something special for taking down the third seeded Czech.
Although the Czech competitor will enter the court as the hot favourite for winning, Melzer’s strengths are not to be underestimated. The Austrian has won the last encounter against Berdych in straight sets and it should be enough
to boost up his confidence in the match.
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