Valencia Open 500 2011: Preview Day 2 – Part One
The top seeds take to the courts at the Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències in Valencia, Spain on Tuesday, 1st November as they kick off their title bids at the 2011 Valencia Open 500.
Opening play for the day is the top ranked Frenchman and world number eight, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga as he takes on the much lower ranked local Javier Marti in his opening round here.
Playing mostly on Futures and Challenger circuits, Marti is playing his first tour level event in a long time, though in all fairness he is not expected to get past the first round here. A title win at the Croatia F13 and a quarterfinal
showing at Croatia F12, does not prepare him for the French phenomenon.
An experienced professional on tour, Tsonga is enjoying a near perfect run recently. With only two losses in his last matches, Tsonga won the title at Metz defeating Ljubicic with a semi-final showing at Beijing and a first match
exit at Shanghai. However, the refocused Frenchman made it all the way to the Vienna final last week eventually clinching the title after defeating Juan Martin Del Potro.
In their first match together, the superior ranked and skilled Frenchman is expected to blast past the local with much ease.
While Tsonga takes on the local on the Agora, rising South African star Kevin Anderson plays Slovak qualifier Martin Klizan in his opening match at Pista 1.
Although Klizan holds a 1-0 lead over the South African, that victory only came about after Anderson retired from their match at the Lexington Challenger in 2007. This time around, however, Klizan will not be so lucky. Coming from
a quarterfinal showing at Stockholm and a semi-final appearance at Vienna, Anderson will predictably destroy the Slovak.
Following Tsonga on the Agora is the top seeded Spaniard and defending champion, David Ferrer. The top seed opens his title defence against Fernando Verdasco. In the most enthralling matchup of the day, Ferrer meets Verdasco trailing
4-7 in the head-to-head.
Enjoying equal standing with the crowd, Ferrer’s superior ranking is matched by Verdasco’s three wins over his higher ranked compatriot. In their last meeting at the 2010 US Open, Verdasco defeated Ferrer in four sets. However,
2011 has been Ferrer’s year as he enjoys career best form. Ferrer is expected to move into the second round with a three set victory.
Also taking to the court is American Sam Querrey as he takes on Latvian Ernests Gulbis. Standing at a level one match each head to head, a clear cut winner is difficult to predict. However, Gulbis might move into the second round
riding his superior ranking. Gulbis is ranked 52nd in the world while Querrey is ranked 116th.
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