Djokovic Defeats Monfils in Compelling Fashion to Capture Paris Crown

BNP Paribas Masters—Paris, France

Third seed Novak Djokovic captured the final regular season match of the year on Sunday, defeating an inspired Gael Monfils, 6-2, 5-7, 7-6 (3).

Djokovic, who dominated his French opponent in a first set with two breaks of serve, won a total of 84 percent of his first serve points in the 30 minute set.

The Serb began the second set with the same amount of poise, breaking Monfils early to lead 3-1.

Monfils simply looked spent throughout the first set and a half of the contest; remaining in recover mode from his near three hour epic with Radek Stepanek on Saturday.

However, in the spirit of all that is French flair, Monfils began to mount an incredible comeback which featured recommitted movement and improved serving.

Monfils, who won seven of the last nine games in the second set, was determined to give the Parisian fans a match to remember—he surely did not disappoint.

Monfils’ embracing the fans after every winning shot did not sit well with Djokovic.

During the change over before the start of the third set, Djokovic spoke to chair umpire Carlos Bernardes to oversee Monfils’ antics after winning and losing a point. Djokoivc’s concern stemmed the rowdy crowd’s noise level between points.

Monfils accepted the warning from Bernardes with a sheepish smile, only to continue his entertaining tennis for the remainder of the encounter.

Djokovic, who drew first blood in the final set, led 2-0 before Monfils leveled the set on serve.

The rollercoaster, poor serving set continued for both players, which saw a total of four break conversions, leading to a fatiguing groundstroke affair.

Monfils’ bicep pump, which was exhibited upon entering the Palais Omnisports, continued its course throughout the latter stages of the set, drawing energy and conviction from the legion of French followers.

With a final set tiebreak determining the titlist for 2009, Djokovic gained a mini-break to lead 4-2, only to set up his first match point with a routine overhead smash.

Monfils, who had exhausted all of his resources and then some to stay with Djokovic, double faulted on match point, handing the Serb his fifth title of the season.

Djokovic, who immediately dropped to his knees after winning his first Bercy title, shouted in continuous compelling joy, acknowledging his well deserved win.

“Winning back-to-back titles on this level is a huge achievement for me, and adding to that, beating No. 1, No. 2 of the world,” said Djokovic, who dismissed No. 2 Rafael in the semi-finals on Saturday. ”So I’m very pleased with my performances in the past four, five weeks. I think winning back-to-back titles probably for the first or maybe second time in my career gives me even more motivation to make the same success in the future.”

Djokovic, who improved to 76-18 on the year (first on Tour), remained perfect against Monfils in the pair’s career head-to-head matches at 4-0.

Monfils, who was devastated by his loss, took solace in telling his hometown fans that he had given his utmost best on Sunday.

“Of course [the] big support of the crowd gave him even more motivation and more energy towards the end of the match. So I was kind of fighting him and fighting the big pressure of the crowd. I was trying to hold all my nerves. At the end of the match, I threw all my emotions out and was happy.”

“The only thing I see is that everything depended on this tie-break in the last set. I was not able to win that final tie-break,” lamented Monfils. ”I will be disappointed. I’ll be disappointed today or tomorrow or in three weeks, because it was really tight.

There’s nothing that I did wrong. He played very well. He was hitting well and no mistakes,” complimented the Frenchman. ”I needed to fight and stay in there. I started playing better in the third set. He broke me. I was able to find my energy to come back.”

Monfils’ heroic finals performance dropped his season mark to 42-19, while ending the year with one Tour title and two final appearances.

The Paris native will end the year just outside the world’s top 10 at No. 13.

“This end of season gives me really the desire to work hard so that next year maybe I will have a full season. I’m thinking if I was able to play all the year round, all the tournaments, how good it would be. Without doing that, I’m already Top 13. I don’t want to over-estimate myself, but if I had played a full year this year I would have been among the Top 10. I’m almost sure of that. I’m sure next year I will be able to get back within the Top 10.”

Watch out for Monfils in 2010, if he can keep his head in the game, there is no telling how far the athletic and entertaining Frenchman can go.

Djokovic, who will be hard pressed for recovery time leading into next week’s Barclays ATP World Tour finals in London, remains confident that he will be able to repeat his title in Shanghai.

“I’m very happy that I managed to win a big tournament just two tournaments before the end of the season,” said Djokovic. ”Now I’m coming with a lot of confidence in London, and the only question is if I’m able to physically rest and get energy for that event.”

Well folks, that ends what has been another terrific year of jaw-dropping regular season action on the ATP World Tour. Please check back shortly for a preview of the London finale, where the top eight players in the world will be vying for the prestigious year end crown.

Day Seven Review: Djokovic Thumps Nadal in Paris, Meets Monfils in Final

BNP Paribas Masters—Paris, France

No. 3 seed Novak Djokovic put an exclamation mark on two great weeks of tennis, easily dismissing No. 2 seed Rafael Nadal 6-2, 6-3 in the semifinals of the Bercy event in Paris on Saturday.

Djokovic, who defeated world No. 1 Roger Federer in three sets to claim the Basel Indoors event last week, took advantage of Nadal’s weak serving on the day, breaking the Spaniard in six and eighth games of the opening sets—both at love.

The second set mirrored the first set in many ways, with Djokovic dominating the tempo of the baseline exchanges, striking deep flat groundstrokes.

Nadal, who had exhibited more of a defensive foundation throughout the week, couldn’t generate the necessary firepower required to trouble his Serbian opponent.

Winning only 58 percent of his total service points throughout the one hour and 16 minute blowout, Nadal, who leads the Tour in several return of serve statistics, remained quiet on Djokovic’s service games, failing to gather a single break point opportunity.

Djokovic, who was a relentless from every part of the court against his Spanish rival, improved his head-to-head deficit against Nadal to 14-6, while winning his Tour-leading 75th match of the season.

Djokovic was ecstatic after his victory, confessing that he couldn’t have played any better.

“There’s not much to say about today’s performance, except it was perfect,” said Djokovic, who hit 31 winners.

“[It was] exactly the way I wanted it.  I have done, tactically-wise, everything that I imagined to do and planned to do before the match.  I was very aggressive.

“[I] took the early control of the match over my opponent, and it paid off.  I was hitting winners from all over the court and really trying to keep that momentum going throughout the whole match.  I didn’t give him many chances to come back into the match.”

Nadal, who fell to 64-11 on the year, has encountered a variety of upsets as of late, losing to players who strike deeper more penetrating shots.

“He played very well,” admitted Nadal.  “He played unbelievable, in my opinion.  I didn’t play bad.  That’s the truth.  But with this level of Novak’s, [it] is very difficult to play at this level, especially [on] this surface.  I finish the tournament playing much better than  [how] I started [it].”

Nadal will now head back to Mallorca, before traveling to London where he will begin preparations for the Tour finale.

Djokovic, who will be competing in his 10th final of the year, will face athletic Frenchman and crowd favorite Gael Monfils in the final.

Monfils advanced to his first Masters 1000 level final on Saturday, defeating Radek Stepanek 6-4, 5-7, 6-4.

Monfils, who dazzled the hometown crowd throughout the two hour and 41 minute slugfest, nearly lost his momentum in the second set after serving for the match at 5-4.

Stepanek, who remains one of the most determined competitors on the circuit, broke Monfils to even the second set at 5-5, before holding to lead 6-5.

Using a crafty selection of flat backhands and net approaches, Stepanek captured the second set with an overhead smash—converting his second of four break point opportunities.

With the Parisian crowd gasping at his every stroke, Monfils drew last blood in the ninth game of the final set, breaking Stepanek for the sixth time in the contest.

After Stepanek hit a final forehand long on match point, Monfils pumped his chest with vigor, acknowledging the tremendous crowd support.

With the win, Monfils advanced to his third final of the year and will attempt to win his second title on homesoil in the last month, capturing his second career in Metz.

The flexible Frenchman, who improved to 42-18 on the season and 3-1 against Stepanek in career head-to-head meetings, spoke about his delight of reaching the biggest final of his young career.

“I don’t feel tired anymore,” said Monfils.  “I know tomorrow I’ll give my life on the court.  I’ve been playing more than two hours today and the day before.  It’s no longer a physical issue.  It’s mental now.  I want to win.  I’m not listening to my body anymore.  I’ll give it all.”

Monfils’ inspiring words will be needed on Sunday, when he takes a 3-0 career head-to-head deficit against his Serbian opponent.

Regardless of his undefeated mark against the Frenchman, Djokovic will not be taking Monfils for granted come Sunday.

“[Monfils] is one of the players who is very unpredictable,” said Djokovic.

“He can play really, really fast.  And with a big serve, he can do a lot of damage to opponents.  I’ve seen a couple of matches in this tournament, and I’ve seen that he’s in good shape.  He’s moving really fast, he’s fit, and he’s motivate.  He’s going to have big support of the crowd, and that’s one of the key facts.”

Please check back on Sunday for a complete finals recap from the BNP Paribas Masters in France.

Day Seven Review: Djokovic Eliminates Soderling in Paris, Verdasco to Gain Final London Spot

BNP Paribas Masters—Paris, France

No. 3 seed Novak Djokovic dusted the hopes of another Barclays ATP World Tour candidate on Friday, defeating Robin Soderling 6-4, 1-6, 6-3.

Soderling, who needed to win the tournament in order to qualify for the London finale, rebounded nicely to take the second set in convincing fashion, only to remain inconsistent in the final set charge.

Soderling’s forehand was in good form throughout the encounter, striking a majority of his 23 winners off his one-handed stroke.

The balance for Soderling in terms of winner to error ratio was not upheld however, committing a miserable 39 unforced errors throughout the one hour and 57 minute contest.

By contrast, Djokovic’s winner to error ratio was slightly better than Soderling (19 to 29), relying on timely passing shots and more confidence to oust his Swedish foe.

In fact, Sodlering’s serving throughout the match, which saw him win 80 percent of his first serve points, was far better than Djokovic’s 68 percent of first serve points won.

The No. 9 also converted on 15 of 20 trips to the net, while Djokovic capitalized on four of eight attempts when moving forward.

With emotions riding high during the pair’s fifth meeting, a missed volley in the net by Soderling on match point all but ended his sensational year on Tour.

Returning to Paris for the first time since reaching his maiden Grand Slam final in the spring, Soderling will now sit back and hope that an ailing Andy Roddick, who is the sixth qualifier for the London finale withdraws.

Roddick continues to recover from an ailing right knee injury, remaining a question mark for the season ending tournament.

Whatever the case, Soderling would have much rather gained entry into London on his own merit.

With the win, Djokovic improved his Tour-leading match record on the season to 74-18, while increasing his head-to-head career lead over Soderling to 5-0.

Djokovic, who will contest his 15th semifinal of the season on Saturday, will now await winner of the day’s second match between No. 2 seed Rafael Nadal and No. 8 seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

Tsonga, who must defend his title in order to gain entry into London, will take a 3-1 career head-to-head deficit against Nadal during the center court clash.

Tsonga’s form this week has been quite uplifting, playing point-by-point, while not looking at the big picture.

Nadal on the other hand, struggled mightily in his first two wins over countryman Nicolas Almagro and Tommy Robredo.

Remaining predominately defensive throughout the event thus far, Nadal’s backcourt play has resembled his tactical approach to playing on clay: High spin and high margin.

However, when playing on a quick hard court like the one in Paris, a penetrating approach must be taken in order to succeed.

Nadal will also be attempting to aid his countryman Fernando Verdasco by defeating Tsonga. If the Spaniard can dismiss the Frenchman, Verdasco would qualifying for the finals in London.

Nevertheless, nothing short of a dramatic encounter should be set forth by these two entertaining combatants.

Following the Nadal-Tsonga clash, Marin Cilic vs. Gael Monfils will take place, followed by Juan Martin del Potro vs. Radek Stepanek.

Cilic, who defeated Verdasco on Thursday, will meet the flamboyant but erratic Monfils for the first time.

Monfils ousted countryman Julien Benneteau in a routine by scratchy affair on Thursday.

Monfils will be vying to reach his first Masters 1000 semifinal of the season, while Cilic, who has picked up his form as of late, will attempt to reach fifth semifinal of year.

The final encounter of the day will see a interesting contrast of styles between del Potro and Stepanek.

Del Potro, who fought through a monsoon of forehand winners by Fernando Gonzalez on Thursday, trails Stepanek 1-0 in career head-to-head meetings.

The serve and volley Czech poured in a stellar win over Andy Murray in the previous round, using his net touch and backhand up-the-line to offset the Scot.

Gonzalez, who played some of the best tennis of the week against del Potro, pulled up lame after two demanding sets, sustaining a knee injury at the end of set two.

Gonzalez held seven match points against against the Argentine, converting on only one of sixteen break point chances during the two hour and 24 minute battle.

Please check back on Saturday for a semifinal wrap up from the final Masters 1000 event of the year in Paris.

Day Seven Review: Verdasco and Davydenko Lose in Paris, Await Their London Chances

BNP Paribas Masters—Paris, France

An eventful day at the Paris Indoors saw an instant change of fate for two Barclays ATP World Tour hopefuls.

First off, No. 8 ranked Fernando Verdasco ran into a Croatian buzz-saw Marin Cilic.

Cilic, who had been eliminated from London contention when Verdasco defeated Andreas Seppi in first round action, exacted revenge in the best way possible, defeating the Spaniard 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.

After winning the first set on the strength of capturing the lone break of serve by either player, Verdasco’s serving numbers dipped drastically in the second set, winning only 30 percent of his second serve points, compared with 50 percent in set one.

Cilic’s powerful ground game began to grow with confidence, leading the lanky Croat to a routine second set win.

The third set displayed continued success for Cilic, who broke Verdasco in the ninth game, while never facing a break point opportunity.

With the win, Cilic advanced to his eighth quarterfinal of season and now awaits No. 15 seed Gael Monfils, who defeated Roger Federer’s victor Julien Benneteau 6-4, 6-3.

Verdasco’s trip to London will remain in the bounds until the other remaining candidates in the draw for the Tour final are determined.

Verdasco remains in eighth place in the road to London with 3,300 points.

Monfils, who was eliminated from London contention last week in Valencia, Spain, defeated Benneteau in one hour and 56 minutes.

Monfils and Cilic have never met on the ATP World Tour.

Elsewhere, Robin Soderling and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga kept their hopes alive of qualifying for the season finale by dismissing Nikolay Davydenko and Gilles Simon respectively.

Soderling, who currently stands in the No. 9 position in the rankings, improved his career head-to-head with Davydenko to 6-3 lifetime.

The powerful Swede utilized 11 aces and two breaks of serve to oust his Russian opponent, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 in two hours and two minutes.

Soderling will now need to advance to the finals of the event in order to qualify for London. He currently holding 3,010 overall points.

Davydenko, who must now await the results of other players’ this week, stands in the No. 7 position.

Soderling will next face Novak Djokovic, who dismantled veteran Frenchman Arnaud Clement, 6-2, 6-2 in third round action.

Djokovic’s dominating performance consisted of eight aces, five breaks of serve and winning 80 percent of his first serve points.

The in-form Serb captured his Tour-leading 73rd match victory of the year, increasing his winning streak to seven matches after winning his fourth title of the season last week in Basel, Switzerland.

Djokovic, who qualified for the London finale in August, appears to be the man to beat for the remainder of the season.

The 2008 Masters Cup winner remains in the hunt for his 16th career title this week.

Djokovic will take a 4-0 head-to-head lead over Soderling in the pair’s quarterfinal contest.

Defending champ Jo-Wilfried ousted hobbled countryman Gilles Simon 6-2, 6-3, in the pair’s fourth career encounter.

Tsonga, who needs to win the event in order to gain entry into London, struck 13 aces while winning a sublime 90 percent of his total service points.

Simon, who defeated Ivan Ljubicic in a second round contest, continued to struggle with a right knee injury he aggravated against his Croatian opponent.

Playing for pride more than anything else, Simon took his defeat with a friendly smile after shaking hands with Tsonga at the net.

Simon ended his year with a respectable 45-29 record, which included a lone title victory in Bangkok, Thailand.

Simon will likely end the year ranked between No. 12-15, depending on who qualifies for the London finale. Because the Frenchman made the semifinals of the Masters Cup last year, he will lose the 400 points he gained for advancing to the final four.

Tsonga will now await the winner of the night match between Rafael Nadal and Tommy Robredo.

Nadal survived a horrid performance against Nicolas Almagro on Wednesday and will attempt to defeat Robredo for the sixth time in the pair’s head-to-head meetings.

Nadal, who made the finals of the Paris Indoors in 2007 (l. Nalbandian), remains in the hunt for his seventh different Masters 1000 title of his career.

The Spaniard, who has won 15 total Masters titles in his career, recently added titles in Indian Wells, Monte Carlo and Roma to his collection.

The lone upset of the day occurred when serve and volley specialist Radek Stepanek defeated No. 4 seed and recent Valencia champ Andy Murray, 1-6, 6-3, 6-4.

After being dismantled in the first set by the Scot, Stepanek began his second set charge by hitting flatter more angled groundstrokes.

Murray, who had played until 2am the night before against James Blake, appeared visibly fatigued from his late night encounter with his American opponent.

Squandering four match points in the final set, Stepanek held his nerve while serving out the match on his second chance.

The win for the Czech, who lost his opportunity of qualify for the London finale after losing to Djokovic in Basel last week, won his first meeting against Murray in four encounters.

The day’s last contest will feature reigning US Open champ Juan Martin del Potro against the final candidate for London, Fernando Gonzalez.

Gonzalez, who also needs to win in Paris to qualify for London, takes a 3-1 career head-to-head lead over the Argentine.

Del Potro, who ended the career of Marat Safin on Wednesday, snapped a two-match losing streak in the process.

The towering Tandil native remains adamant on capturing his first ever Masters 1000 title.

Please check back on Friday for continuing daily coverage from the final Masters 1000 event of the season in Paris.

Day Five Action: Safin Ends Storied Career With Loss to del Potro

BNP Paribas Masters—Paris, France

Former world No. 1 and two-time Grand Slam champ Marat Safin ended his 13-year career on Wednesday, losing respectably to No. 5 seed Juan Martin del Potro, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4.

Safin, who won the Paris (Bercy) event in 2000, 2002, 2004, while making the final in 1999, broke del Potro in the 12th game of the second set, forcing the reigning US Open champion into a deciding set battle.

Del Potro, who broke Safin in the third game of the final set, hit 11 aces and won 80 percent of his first serve points throughout the one hour and 55 minute contest.

Safin, who struck 15 aces past del Potro, gave the soldout crowd a powerful display of tennis during his final career match.

The 6′4″ Moscow native began his tennis journey in Paris, reaching the 1998 French Open fourth round, defeating Andre Agassi and Gustavo Kuerten along the way.

After serving an ace on match point, del Potro and Safin embraced in a post-match hug, celebrating the successful career of the Russian.

Del Potro, who improved to 50-13 on the season, seemed almost embarrassed by defeating his idol.

“When I started to play ATP tournaments, I met him and I told to him ’You are my idol’.  After that, we started a good relationship.  He’s very friendly [and] he speak Spanish.  He’s a great person.  We will miss him in the tournaments,” reflected del Potro.

Sitting beside Safin on his changeover chair, del Potro became part of the Russian’s tribute, standing with the likes of Novak Djokovic, Gilles Simon, Ivo Karlovic, and Safin’s good friend Marc Rosset.

Safin, who finished his career with a 422-267 mark, won 15 titles throughout his playing days, holding the No. 1 ranking for seven weeks throughout the 2000 and 2001 seasons.

“[My best moments] came in different stages of my career,” said Safin.  “Beginning with 1998 Roland Garros when I qualified and I beat [Andre] Agassi and [Gustavo] Kuerten and I lost to [Cedric] Pioline.  And of course there is the next one, winning the 2000 US Open.

“I was a decent player,” Safin said. “Just in general, I’ve been great to everybody, even if I had a few fights with chair umpires.”

The tall Russian alluded his intentions now that he is freed from the daily grind of the Tour.

“Now I have no schedule, no practices, no nothing,” he said. “I belong to myself. Tomorrow I’ll wake up and see what I want to do.”

Tennis won’t be the same without Safin; that is a certainty.

With the win, del Potro will next face No. 10 seed Fernando Gonzalez. The Chilean gained a measure of revenge over John Isner, defeating the American 7-5, 7-6 (3).

Gonzalez, who gained 90 points in his charge to the Barclays ATP World Tour finals in London, equaled Inser with 13 aces, but gained the lone break of the match by either player in the 12th game of the first set.

The one hour and 29 minute victory for Gonzalez improved his year-to-date record to 39-15, while evening his head-to-head with the 6′9″ Tampa resident to 1-1. Isner had defeated Gonzalez in Basel last week.

No. 3 seed Novak Djokovic continued his impressive play this fall, defeating Argentine Juan Monaco 6-3, 7-5.

Djokovic, who won his fourth title this season in Basel last week, improved to 2-0 against Monaco, while taking his Tour-leading record to 72-18 on the year.

Djokovic was quite flat in his win over Monaco on Wednesday, displaying the adjusting period required between back-to-back events.

Nevertheless, the Serb did what he needed to do during his one hour and 31 minute victory, maintaining his six match winning streak.

“I didn’t feel that great on the court,” admitted Djokovic.  “Probably a long week in Basel affected [me] physically.  But I got a victory, and that’s what matters most.  I want to do well here in Bercy, because I [haven't] had a lot of success in the last couple of years.  I have a lot of support.  It’s as pleasure playing in front of them.”

Djokovic will next play Arnaud Clement, who defeated a suppar Tommy Haas 5-7, 6-3, 7-6(8). The Frenchman saved a match point at 6-7 in the third set tiebreak.

Haas, who was returning to Tour after a bout with swine flu last week, lost his first match to Clement in seven meetings. Haas had previously defeated Clement on four hard courts occasions and twice on carpet.

Clement will take a 2-1 head-to-head deficit against Djokovic in their third round encounter.

Elsewhere, the longest but perhaps most errant match of the day belonged to Rafael Nadal and Nicolas Almagro. The three hour and 13 minute affair ended on a final Nadal forehand, sending the Spaniard to the third round with a 3-6, 7-6 (2), 7-5 victory.

Nadal, who had encountered little adversity against Almagro in four previous meetings (leading 4-0), lost the first set after being broken in the fifth game.

Almagro sustained his level throughout the second set, striking his forehand and backhand with vicious spin and speed. Holding five match points in 12th game of the second set, Almagro couldn’t overcome his fragile demeanor, losing the subsequent tiebreak.

The final set began with an immediate brake for Nadal, only to lose his serve in ensuing game. With no momentum in sight, seven total breaks of serve were dished out in 12 game third set.

With Almagro beginning to cramp in latter stages of the final set, Nadal’s fitness and heart inevitably took him to victory.

Almagro, who won five more total points than Nadal in the contest (69-65), struck 12 aces while winning only 42 percent of his second serve points.

By contrast, Nadal, who prides himself on consistent play, couldn’t find confidence in any facet of his game, winning 59 percent of his second serve points while donating four double faults.

If not the frail mental state of Almagro, Nadal could very well have lost in the second round.

It is vital that Almagro address his overall conditioning and desire for competition if he is to reap the full rewards of his talents.

On the other hand, Nadal’s defensive play and lackluster serving will need to improve if he is to adequately complete with the other members of the top five.

With the win, Nadal next faces No. 14 seed and countryman Tommy Robredo. Robredo defeated 2005 champ Tomas Berdych, 6-4, 6-4.

Robredo converted on two of three break point chances, while saving all five break points against his delivery.

Berdych, who couldn’t find his range of the ground throughout his one hour and 17 minute defeat, finished his season with a 36-25 record.

Nadal and Robredo have contested five battles on the ATP World Tour, with Nadal leading the pair’s head-to-head 5-0.

The final result of the day thus far saw No. 9 seed Robin Soderling overcome 14 aces to defeat Ivo Karlovic, 6-4, 7-6 (6).

After breaking Karlovic in the ninth game of the first set, Soderling, who has not seen Tour action since retiring from the semifinals of his native Stockholm event, persevered throughout a break-less second set, tying his head-to-head with Karlovic at two wins a piece.

Soderling, who remains in contention for one of the two final spots in the Tour finale, must reach at least the finals in Paris to stand a chance at the reaching London.

Soderling will next face No. 6 seed Nikolay Davydenko, who currently stands in the No. 7 spot for London qualification.

Soderling leads Davydenko 5-3 in career head-to-head meetings, defeating Davydenko earlier this year at the US Open.

Davydenko currently holds better form over Soderling, winning the pair’s last match in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The meaningful encounter will take place on Thursday.

Matches that are still to come on a truly all-star day of tennis in France include:

No. 1 seed Roger Federer vs. Julien Benneteau, No. 4 seed Andy Murray vs. James Blake, No. 12 seed Marin Cilic vs. Lukasz Kubot, No. 15 seed Radek Stepanek vs. Viktor Troicki, and No. 15 seed Gael Monfils vs. David Guez.

Please check back on Thursday for continuing daily coverage from the final Masters 1000 event in Paris.

Quotes courtesy of theatpworldtour.com.

Day Three Review: Davydenko Wins in Paris, Verdasco Survives Poor Performance

BNP Paribas Masters—Paris, France

No. 6 seed Nikolay Davydenko, who won the BNP Paribas Masters in 2006, defeated Benjamin Becker in easy fashion on Tuesday, dispatching the powerful German, 6-2, 6-1.

The win one hour and 16 minute victory for the Russian was a significant boost in his claim of qualifying for the Barclays ATP World Tour final in London later this month.

Davydenko, who currently holds the No. 7 spot in the race to the Tour finale, added 90 points to total points and now stands 380 points clear of No. 8 Fernando Verdasco.

Davydenko also avenged a 2008 loss to Becker at The Wimbledon Championships. Becker, who won his maiden ATP World Tour title earlier this year in the Netherlands, was broken on five of 13 opportunities, while failing to convert on his four break point chances.

With the loss, Becker ended his season with a 13-19 record, likely finishing in the top 50 for the first time in his career.

Davydenko, who improved to 53-15 on the season, will next face either No. 9 seed Robin Soderling or ace machine Ivo Karlovic.

Soderling is returning to action after being off for three weeks with a right elbow injury.  Karlovic, who snapped a six match losing streak by defeating Pablo Cuevas in first round action, will attempt to surpass his best ever result in Bercy, which was reaching the second round in 2007 (l. Federer).

Davydenko reflected on his performance on Monday, while looking forward to his likely qualification for the Tour finale in London.

“It was the same for me last year and the year before,” said Davydenko.

“Four guys need to win this tournament [to qualify].  If somebody [reached] the final, it’s not enough.  It is not so easy for Tsonga or Soderling to reach the final and win [the] tournament.”

Elsewhere, No. 8 seed Verdasco survived a listless performance in his first round win over Andreas Seppi of Italy.

Verdasco’s 6-7 (3), 6-4, 6-4 scratchy victory, could have been attributed to his nerves, considering that he needed to defeat Seppi to strengthen his chances of qualifying for London.

The win for Verdasco, which saw the Spaniard strike 43 unforced errors, eliminated Radek Stepanek and Marin Cilic’s chances of qualifying for the Tour finale.

In order to qualify for London, both Stepanek and Cilic needed to win the event, while having Verdasco lose in his opening match.

The up-and-down affair between Verdasco and Seppi featured eight total breaks of serve during the two hour and 8 minute contest. Verdasco was not able to save any of the break points chances against his serve (0-3), while Seppi managed to save 5-10 break point opportunities.

The Spaniard, who improved to 6-0 against Seppi in career meetings, gave a fist pump of relief to his corner after advancing to the third round.

Verdasco’s road to continued success in Paris will be tested in the third round against either Lukasz Kubot or No. 12 seed Marin Cilic.

Cilic, who will be in tough against his Polish opponent on Wednesday, trails Verdasco 2-1 in career head-to-head meetings.

Kubot defeated Andreas Beck on Monday, adding to his fine month of tennis which saw him defeat Andy Roddick last at the Japan Open.

Elsewhere, Stanislas Wawrinka ended a year he would soon like to forget, losing in straight sets to French qualifier David Guez 6-3, 6-4. Wawrinka, who is ranked No. 21 in the world, failed to reach a Tour final all season, falling to 31-20 after his miserable loss to Guez on Tuesday.

Guez, who is currently ranked No. 179 on the computer, picked up his second career Tour-level victory over Wawrinka, improving his year-to-date record to 2-1. The 26-year-old Frenchman will next take on countryman No. 15 seed Gael Monfils in second round action.

Monfils, who lost in the second round of Valencia last week, is also out of the running for a place in the Tour finale in London. The high flying Paris native will attempt to improve on his 2-3 career mark at Bercy.

French hopeful Jeremy Chardy was ousted in first round action on Tuesday, losing in straight sets to talented Argentine Juan Monaco, 7-6 (6), 7-5.

Chardy, who had high hopes of performing well on home soil, fell to 35-28 on the year, which includes capturing his maiden Tour title in Stuttgart, Germany.

Although Chardy was able to strike nine aces against Monaco, his points won on second serves, which totaled 35 percentage was far too low.

The loose limb Frenchman discussed his frustrations after his defeat.

“Today, I was frustrated because I was not able to do what I wanted to do,” said Chardy.  “When you are on the court and you just can’t do what I want, it’s always annoying.”

With the win, Monaco set up a tough encounter with No. 3 seed and recent Basel champion Novak Djokovic.

Djokvoic, who defeated Roger Federer in his native Switzerland on Sunday, comes into Paris with a career 3-4 mark at the event. The Serb also holds a 2-0 career head-to-head lead over Monaco, defeating the Argentine at the US Open in 2007 and the Wimbledon Championships in 2005.

French favorites Julien Benneteau and Arnaud Clement delighted the Parisian crowd on Tuesday, defeating Philipp Petzchner and Feliciano Lopez respectively.

Benneteau dispatched the hard-hitting ground game of Petzschner 4-6, 7-5, 6-3, while Clement handed Lopez his 24th loss of year with a scoreline of 6-3, 6-1.

Benneteau’s victory over Petzschner was highlighted by 10 aces and three breaks of serve. Benneateau, who improved to 25-27 on the year will next face top seed Roger Federer on Wednesday.

Clement, who improved his head-to-head lead over Lopez to 2-1, completely dominated the 50-minute contest with well struck returns, six aces and 89 percent of his first serve points won.

Clement, who has restored his ranking in the past two weeks on Tour, comes into Paris on the heels of a quarterfinal finish in Lyon, France and semifinal showing in Vienna, Austria.

The 31-year-old Aix-en-Provence native has reclaimed a top 100 ranking, falling as low as No. 153 in the world in June of this year. Clement currently stands at No. 93 in the world.

The qualifying Frenchman will take on No. 16 seed Tommy Haas in second round action.

Haas, who is recovering from the swine flu, appears to be fit and ready to improve on his 16-9 record at the event, which includes two semifinal finishes in 2002 and 2006. Hass has been participating at the Paris Indoors since 1998.

Switzerland’s third ranked player, Marco Chiudinelli saw his attempt at adding to his career performance in Basel last week end, losing 6-2, 6-4 to Spaniard Nicolas Almagro,

Chiudinelli, who moved up to the No. 55 position in the world after advancing to the final four in his native tournament, was broken on four of nine occasions throughout the one hour and 28 minute contest.

Almagro, who picked up his 10th hard court win of the season will next face No. 2 seed Rafael Nadal on second round action.

Nadal leads the pair’s head-to-head 4-0, defeating his countryman in a competitive third round match at the US Open.

Action that is still to come on Tuesday in Paris will include:

Defending champ Jo-Wifried Tsonga vs. Albert Montanes and No. 11 seed Gilles Simon vs. Ivan Ljubicic.

Tsonga, who needs to defend his title in order to qualify for London, on paper is be the favorite against Montanes, if not for a recent left wrist injury he sustained against Mikhail Youzhny in Valencia last week.

Montanes persevered through a tight encounter to defeat Victor Hanescu in a third set tiebreak on Monday.

Simon, who fell out of contention for the London finale with his quarterfinal loss to Youzhny in Valencia last week, will be playing for pride this week in France.

Ljubicic has recently enjoyed the form which saw reach the No. 3 position in the world back in May, 2006, winning the title in Lyon, France and making the quarterfinals in both Beijing and Shanghai, China.

Wednesday’s action in Paris will bring forth the top five seeds in the event, with Federer vs. Benneteau, Rafael Nadal vs. Almagro, Djokovic vs. Monaco, Murray vs. Blake, and Juan Martin del Potro vs. Marat Safin.

Please check back on Wednesday for continuing daily coverage from the BNP Paribas Master from Paris, France.

Day Two Review: Former Champ Berdych into Second Round, Safin Plays Potential Last Match of Career

BNP Paribas Masters—Paris, France

Tomas Berdych, who won the BNP Paribas Masters in 2005 for his lone Masters 1000 title, defeated French qualifier Vincent Millot, 6-3, 7-4 (4) in first round action Monday.

Berdych’s year, which has consisted of winning his fifth career title in Munich (d. Youzhny), has produced a 36-24 record (including today’s win) while retaining a top 20 ranking for the fourth straight season. (Berdych last ended the year ranked outside the top 20 in 2005, when he finished No. 24.)

Millot, who is currently ranked No. 247 in the world, squandered a 5-2 lead in the second set, allowing Berdych to brake back and use his potent serve to finish off the match in straight sets. Berdych struck an ace on his first match point, improving to 12-3 lifetime at the indoor French event.

Berdych will next face No. 14 seed Tommy Robredo in second round action. The top 16 seeds in the event received first round byes.

Elsewhere, Croatian Ivo Karlovic snapped a six-match losing streak, defeating Uruguayan Pablo Cuevas 7-6 (3), 6-4.

Karlovic, who struck 21 aces in his straight set, one hour and 16 minute victory, saved four break points in the first set, while capturing the lone break of the match in the ninth game of the second set.

Taking chances on his return-of-serve throughout the first set tiebreak, Karlovic connected on two crucial down-the-line returns at 2-2 and 5-2, gaining a vital one set to love lead.

Karlovic, who improved to 23-22 on the season, has only won three matches all year which he has lost the first set. (A five-set comeback against James Blake in Davis Cup action, a three set win against Jan Henrych at the Roma Masters 1000, and a three set win against Julien Benneteau at the Madrid Masters 1000.)

Cuevas, who ended his season with a 19-15 record, recorded two Tour-level quarterfinal finishes this year (Moscow and Bucharest), while advancing to two Tour-level semifinals this season (Hamburg and Vina del Mar).

The 23-year-old Argentine may compete in a few Challenger level events before the end of the season—results which will not effect his Tour win-loss record but may increase his ranking.

With the win, Karlovic faces No. 9 seed Robin Soderling in second round action. The blockbuster second round affair will pit the powerful duo against each other for the third time in their career meetings. Karlovic leads the pair’s head-to-head 2-1, winning the last encounter at the 2008 Madrid Masters. All of the pair’s matches have taken place on hard courts.

Soderling, who joins a list of seven remaining candidates with a mathematical chance of qualifying for the Barclays ATP World Tour finals in London, currently stands in the No. 9 position, 380 points behind No. 8 Fernando Verdasco.

Soderling needs to advance to the finals of the event in order to have a shot at qualifying for the Tour finale in London.

Soderling, who is returning from a wrist elbow injury, will put his fitness and match toughness to the test this week.

Other candidates for the remaining two positions in the year end Tour finals include, Verdasco, Nikolay Davydenko, Fernando Gonzalez, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Radek Stepanek, and Marin Cilic.

Elsewhere, other first round results at the Paris (Bercy) indoor event included:

Italian Andreas Seppi ousting Philipp Kohlschreibe,r 6-3, 6-3. Seppi will next face No. 7 seed Fernando Verdasco in round two. Verdasco can eliminate both Stepanek and Cilic from London contention if he defeats Seppi on Wednesday.

Lukasz Kubot, who recently defeated Andy Roddick in Japan while making his maiden Tour-level final in Belgrade earlier this season, defeated the competent challenge of Andreas Beck, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4. Kubot, who in previous seasons had participated predominately in doubles competition, has tried his luck in the singles arena this year, seeing his ranking rise from No. 209 at the beginning of the year to its current position of No. 111.

Kubot is competing in France as a qualifier this week, and endured a similar qualification path to record his impressive results in Japan and Belgrade. Kubot will next face No. 12 seed Marin Cilic in second round action.

Spaniard Albert Montanes picked up his seventh hard court win of the season, dismissing the 6′6″ challenge of Victor Hanescu, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (3).

Montanes, who was struggling to find the rhythm on his serve throughout the two hour and seven minute encounter, fought diligently to overcome the loss of the first set, completely controlling the third set tiebreak with his one-handed backhand.

Hanescu, who lost his ninth match out of his last 11 on Tour, has struggled recently in a year which brought him a career high ranking of No. 26, which he achieved in June.

With the win, Montanes improved 24-20 on the season and will next face defending champ Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in second round action.

Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu endured a disappointing end to his year, withdrawing in the second set against Serbian Viktor Troicki, 7-6 (4), 3-0.

Mathieu, who sustained a right calf injury in the second set, fell to 28-29 on season and 4-7 at the Bercy event. Mathieu’s poor performance on home soil has resulted in five opening round defeats.

Colombian Aljandro Falla squandered three match points in the second set tiebreak and is now currently tied at one set all with American John Isner.

Isner, who saved three match points with blistering second serves, will be attempting to win his 27th match of the year while looking to crack the top 30 for the first time in his career. Isner currently stands at the No. 35 position.

Action that is still to come on Monday in Paris will include:

Sebastien Grosjean, playing in what may very well be the final tournament of his career, against recent Lyon, France winner Ivan Ljubicic.

Ljubicic, who made the finals of Bercy in 2005 (l. Berdych), has rounded into form quite nicely in the past month on Tour, winning his sixth career title in Lyon, while making the quarterfinals in both Beijing, and Shanghai, China.

Grosjean, who has seen limited court action this year due to right shoulder surgery which he underwent at the end of 2008, currently resides at the No. 705 spot on the computer.

The Frenchman, once ranked as high as No. 4 in the world (Nov. 2002), trails Ljubicic 3-2 in the pair’s head-to-head meetings.

The final match of the day will feature the potential last match of former world No. 1 Marat Safin.

Safin, who is retiring at the end of this week, faces French qualifier Theirry Ascione in the night match.

Safin’s record at the Paris Bercy speaks for itself, winning three titles, reaching the finals in 1999 and a quarterfinal finish in 2006.

The Russian rocket leads Asicone 1-0 in head-to-head meetings, defeating the Frenchman at the 2004 Estoril, Portugal event.

With the tournament beginning on Sunday—two matches including James Blake defeating Fabrice Santoro, 6-4, 6-4 and Benjamin Becker ousting Michael Llodra, 3-6, 6-2, 6-3—were recorded.

Santoro, who is all but done his 20 years of professional tennis, said that he may participate in the Australian Open at the beginning of next year, becoming the only player in the history of the sport to play in four different decades.

“Before coming onto the court, I was in the locker room with two close friends and my dad,” said Santoro.  “We were joking.  We made a few photos.  We tried to immortalize the moment.”

Blake, who will next face recent Valencia Open 500 winner Andy Murray in the second round, paid tribute to Santoro’s longevity on Tour.

“He’s a great competitor, such a classy guy, someone I’ve had a lot of tough matches with. It’s tough when you get to serve out the match and the crowd is really behind him.  Luckily I came through with a couple of big serves that helped kind of take the racquet out of his hand and give me the chance to close it out.

“He’s had a great career.  It’s unbelievable how much success he’s had in singles and doubles and how well liked he is by his competitors, which I think says a lot about a person, when they do retire, how respected they are by the rest of the tour.”

Santoro will now contemplate whether or not he wants to become a Touring coach in the future.

Please check back on Tuesday for continuing daily coverage from the BNP Paribas Masters in France.

Quotes courtesy of theatpworldtour.com.

Tournament Preview:

The final Masters 1000 event of the season will once again host the game’s best at the Paris Bercy. The 51st edition of the elite event will showcase 48 of the top players in world, battling it out for a prestigious Masters 1000 title.

A surprising statistic heading into Paris this year remains that none of the top five seeds have ever captured the title in Bercy. In fact, there are only four participating former champions in the draw, defending champ Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Nikolay Davydenko, Marat Safin and Tomas Berdych.

Tsonga, who has dropped to the No. 11 position in the rankings, will need to defend his title in order to have a shot at qualifying for the Barclays ATP World Tour final in London. Tsonga did suffer a left wrist injury last week in Valencia, forcing the Frenchman to withdraw in the first round.

Davydenko, who all but clinched his London spot with a solid performance in Valencia, will attempt to win the fourth Masters 1000 event of his career, after claiming his third title in Shanghai, China.

The final tournament of torn former No. 1 Safin will also take places this week, with the powerful Russian returning to his most successful Masters 1000 event, claiming the title in 2004, 2002, and 2000.

Berdych, who remains in the top 20 at No. 19, claimed his one and only Masters 1000 title in Paris, defeating Ivan Ljubicic in a five set thriller in 2005. Berdych remains an outside but solid candidate for the title his year.

The tournament, which boasts nine of the top 10 players in the world, lost world No. 6 Andy Roddick earlier in the week due to an ongoing knee injury. Roddick remains hopeful of participating at the Tour finale in London.

World No. 1 Roger Federer leads a deep field which consists of No. 2 seed Rafael Nadal, No. 3 seed Novak Djokovic, No. 4 seed Andy Murray and No. 5 seed Juan Martin del Potro.

The first prize winner of the event will receive 450,000 euros and 1000 ATP World Tour points.

With the surface at Paris Bercy changing back to a hard court, the results throughout the event should remain more consistent. The previous carpet surface which the event was played on, provided a distinct advantage to a more powerful brand tennis.

With that mind, let’s see how the top four seeds will shape up during the official final event of the season.

Federer quarter:

Fresh off a glorious run in his native Basel, R-Fed returns to one of the few venues in the which he has not taken home the hardware. In fact, Federer has yet to reach a semifinal in Bercy, falling in the quarterfinal stage on three occasions. The world No. 1 did not play the event last year, opting to rest a back injury.

Federer, who is undefeated in the quarter against the 11 players present, encounter a lone defeat to countryman and Olympic gold medal partner Stanislas Wawrinka at the Monte Carlo Masters earlier this season.

Federer is slated to meet Wawrinka in the third round, with No. 15 seed Gael Monfils being another formidable opponent along the way.

Monfils all but ended his chances at qualifying for the London finale with his loss to Guillermo Garcia-Lopez in Valencia last week. Monfils is playing at home however and would like nothing more than to ignite the hometown fans with a productive end to the season.

Marin Cilic, who holds an outside chance at qualifying for London, could face Federer in the quarterfinals. Cilic would likely have to defeat No. 7 seed Fernando Verdasco in the third round, but with the Spaniard all but qualifying for London with a stellar showing in Valencia last week, a sharp Cilic may be the best candidate for a showdown with Federer.

The top ranked Swiss holds a week of rest between Paris and London, further exemplifying why he will likely surpass, or at least equal his best ever quarterfinal finish in Bercy.

Baring a catastrophe of sorts, look for Federer to come out of this quarter with a keen outlook to his first Bercy title.

Pick: Federer

Nadal quarter:

Playing in only his third Bercy event, the Spaniard comes into Paris in search of his first title since capturing his fifth straight Barcelona Open crown in the spring. Nadal, a finalist at the Paris Indoors in 2007, has a tricky quarter which includes defending champ Tsonga, former champ Berdych, Gilles Simon, and countryman Tommy Robredo.

Tsonga would likely provide the stiffest resistance to Nadal claiming his seventh different Masters 1000 title. The Frenchman is playing hurt, but will use the electricity of his home country supporters to advance to the latter stages of the event.

Marco Chiudinelli, who could face Nadal in the second round, must defeat Nicolas Almagro in round one. Chiudinelli advanced to his first semifinal of the season in Basel last week (l. Federer).

Chiudinelli will likely be spent by his Switzerland performance, allowing Almagro to have a slight advantage going into their first round encounter.

Berdych, who has defeated Nadal on three occasions (all on hard courts), could pose a significant threat to Nadal in the third round. Berdych has just the kind of game to make a late season charge and defeat the Spaniard.

Robredo, who is the slated to meet Nadal in the third round, would have to get by Berdych in round two.

Frenchman Simon, who was eliminated from qualifying from the London finale after losing to Mikhail Youzhny in Valenica, remains another hometown hopeful willing to give his all during the last event of the season.

Simon’s roadrunner style could challenge Nadal if the pair met in the quarterfinals. Simon is slated to meet Tsonga in the third round, a match which be relished by the Parisian fans.

All in all, Nadal’s quarter is by no means a cakewalk. The Spaniard has shown the vulnerability of getting whacked off the court on more than one occasion this season, and in the event that Tsonga is fully healed from his wrist injury, the Frenchman should make a confident charge to defending his title.

With that being said, Nadal seems fit and rested; a claim he has not been able to make at this juncture during previous seasons.

Pick: Nadal

Djokovic quarter

With a new lease on his young career, the Serbian sensation appears to have a clean grasp on his upcoming goals. Djokovic, who has been in good form since the US Open, will have to be cautious in this section, with the likes of Nikolay Davydenko, Robin Sodering, Tommy Haas, Ivo Karlovic, Feliciano Lopez, and Jeremy Chardy present.

Davydenko has played virtually ever week since the end of the US Open, mounting his charge to finals showing in London. The Russian can never be counted out of a Masters 1000 event, recently adding the Shanghai crown to his Masters 1000 collection. Davydenko would have to get through either Soderling or Karlovic to set up a showdown with Djokovic, with both power hitters eager to finish their years off with a flourish.

Soderling is back on Tour after suffering a right elbow injury in Stockholm, while Karlovic, who has lost sixth straight matches on the circuit, dearly needs a few wins to boost his confidence.

Haas, who was recently diagnosed with the swine flu, could face Djokovic in the third round. Haas defeated Djokovic in consecutive events at Halle and Wimbledon this summer.

Lopez, who has gathered some steam in recent weeks, looks to be a better bet of reaching a third round clash with Djokovic. Lopez could be the surprise story in this quarter, finally exhibiting the level of professionalism required to compete on Tour.

This could very well be the section where chaos reigns through and either Lopez or Karlovic make the semifinals. Djokovic still remains the favorite, but with an upset having to take place at some point, the Serbian appears to be the prime candidate in taking a fall.

Pick: Karlovic

Murray quarter:

Murray was granted little favors in this brutal quadrant. Apart from having Grand Slam champs del Potro and Safin present, Murray will have to combat the likes of Fernando Gonzalez, Radek Stepanek, James Blake, John Isner, and Fabrice Santoro, if he is to make the quarterfinals.

Starting off with Blake or Santoro, Murray will be assured a stern baseline challenge from the get go. Blake, who has plummeted to No. 41 in the world, seems to be in a ninth inning rebuilding mode in his career, via a new coach and ambitions of returning to the top 10. Blake’s forehand can never be counted out, and if he is in the zone, Murray may be in trouble.

Santoro, who has put retirement plans on hold for the moment, opting to play in next years Australian Open, would bring an off speed look to a match up with Scot.

Santoro’s soft hands and x-ray anticipation could handcuff Murray in his attempt at capturing his fifth Masters 1000 title.

Stepanek and Gonzalez will be playing with much more to lose than Murray this week. Both players are still in contention to qualify for London, with Gonzalez, who stands at No. 10 in race, needing to win to event in order to book his top eight spot.

Gonzalez has cooled off considerably after reaching the US Open quarterfinals, leaving Stepanek’s serve and volley game with a better shot at upending Murray.

Three-time winner Marat Safin will close out his famed career with what he hopes is a respectable run in Paris. The Russian opens against a qualifier, with No. 5 seed del Potro waiting in round two.

Del Potro, who remains winless after capturing his maiden Slam title in New York, will look to snap a two-match losing streak against Safin if that match takes place.

Safin does have a chance at stirring up an upset against del Potro, considering the Argentine is still recovering from a wrist injury.

Either way, a Safin-Murray, or del Potro-Murray quarterfinal clash would leave the Paris fans with nothing short of their monies worth.

All in all, Murray will have to get his punch card ready if he is to persevere in this quarter. The Scot displayed fine form in Valencia last week, showing ill effects from his recent left wrist injury.

It remains to be seen what kind of tennis del Potro and Safin bring forth; both power players have exhibited frail form as of late.

However, del Potro may have saved himself for a final push this season, leaving the rest of this quarter in danger of finishing second.

This quarter was truly the toughest to predict, but with that be said, Murray and del Potro remain the true standouts.

Pick: del Potro

Bercy has brought forth many surprise winners over the years, with this year’s event capable of producing another first time champion.

Please check back throughout the week for continuing daily coverage from the final Masters 1000 event of season from Paris.

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