Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships: Day 2 Preview
February 27, 2012 · Print This Article
by Tom Cochrane
Day 2 of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships sees the action heat up, with some cracking tennis in store for local fans in Dubai and for those following the tournament around the world.
Day 1 Recap
Day 1 saw Novak Djokovic return to the ATP Tour after a break following his exhausting but successful Australian Open campaign. The world number one produced a solid performance, seeing off emerging talent Cedrik-Marcel Stebe in straight sets, 6-4 6-2. After succumbing to nerves and giving up his serve in the opening game of the match, Stebe matched Djokovic virtually shot for shot for the best part of an hour, even bringing up break point in the middle of the second set. But Djokovic escaped from trouble in that game, and went on to break Stebe twice in succession to wrap up the victory.
The news wasn’t so good for Djokovic’s younger brother Marko, with the wildcard entry bowing out to Kazakh Andrey Golubev in straight sets. Other winners on Day 1 included Mardy Fish, who celebrated his first match in Dubai with a 6-1 6-1 hammering of Andreas Beck, and Lukas Lacko who edged out Sergei Bubka in a thrilling 30 point third set tiebreaker.
Day 2 Preview
Four-time champion Roger Federer commences his quest for a fifth Dubai crown against the energetic French veteran Michael Llodra. Llodra, who reached the final at the indoor tournament in Marseille last week, is always a hearty competitor, and the serve-and-volleyer will come out swinging against the second seed. But Federer, who has an apartment in Dubai and has spent a week preparing for this event after winning the tournament in Rotterdam, will be much more accustomed to the fast Dubai courts than Llodra. Federer in 2.
To my mind, the marquee match-up on Day 2 pits Marseille champion Juan Martin Del Potro against world number 13 Alexandr Dolgopolov. It’s a reflection of the strength of the draw in Dubai that Dolgopolov isn’t seeded, and Del Potro was the unlucky seed forced to duel the Ukrainian early in the tournament. Del Potro has been in top form in recent weeks, making the final in Rotterdam before claiming the title in Marseille, but the Argentine has had to travel from Europe to Dubai, and now has to adapt to outdoor hard-courts after playing indoors in Rotterdam and Marseille. With the Dubai courts playing very fast, Dolgopolov will be right at home with his pace around the court and whippy groundstrokes. I’ll take the upset in this one. Dolgopolov in 3.
Champion in Qatar earlier in the year, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga will be looking to add another Middle Eastern trophy to his cabinet in this tournament. The popular Frenchman takes on the equally popular Marcos Baghdatis in another intriguing opening round duel. Baghdatis seems to have calmed down after his rage at Melbourne Park in January, which saw him destroy 4 racquets in a matter of minutes, and the Cypriot will relish the quick courts in much the same way as Dolgopolov is likely to. However, I think Tsonga will be able to match Baghdatis from the back of the court in this one and the Frenchman definitely has the advantage in the serving department. Tsonga in 3.
Mikhail Youzhny has enjoyed a lot of success in Dubai in the past, having twice been a finalist at this event. The Russian is coming off a recent tournament win in Zagreb, but faces a tough assignment in the opening round against the enigmatic Frenchman Richard Gasquet. This pair has battled against one another in some epic duels over the years, and again I think this one will go down to the wire. It’s a flip of the coin to my mind, but I’ll back Youzhny on the back of his recent good form. Youzhny in 3.
That’s it for today. Enjoy the tennis and I’ll be back with another edition tomorrow.
Dolgopolov is ranked #20.