Indian Wells: Live Day Four Round Up

by: Nima Naderi

Indian Wells, CA—Top seed Roger Federer won his first match since Australia on Sunday at the BNP Paribas Open, defeating Victor Hanescu 6-3, 6-7 (5), 6-1.

Winning the first set in routine fashion, Federer won 100 percent of his first serve points (11-11) while breaking Hanescu’s serve on one occasion. What appeared to be a straight set win by the Swiss superstar, quickly became a second set battle. Breaking Federer’s serve to lead 5-2, Hanescu utilized his fluid one-handed backhand and competent serve to force his mighty rival to the brink of a third set.

Hanescu would falter while serving for the set at 5-3, only to gain an early advantage in the tiebreak to force a deciding set.

Regaining momentum to begin the third set, Federer broke Hanescu’s serve on two occasions to defeat his 6′5″ opponent for the fifth straight time.

A relaxed, and eager to be back to competition Federer spoke with his media after his victory.

“I was happy with the way I played,” he said. “Not having played for so long, I thought it was a good match overall. Missed maybe some of the clutch serving when I really needed it. Let’s say 30-all, deuce I couldn’t really get that one perfect serve I was sometimes looking for, but that’s something that happens.”

Receiving three awards after his victory: The 2009 Player of the Year, ATPWorldTour.com Fans’ Favorite Player of the Year, and the Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award, Federer was grateful to his fans and peers for his awards.

“I’d like to thank the fans for voting for me,” Federer said to the crowd after receiving the Fan Favorite Award for a seventh straight year. “You guys are amazing. Thank you. As you know, you guys make this even more worthwhile traveling around the globe from January to November. I love coming back here, so it’s very nice to get presented the awards here.”

Federer will next face Marcos Baghdatis, who won a marathon first set over Arnaud Clement, before prevailing 7-6 (7), 6-1. The first set between Baghdatis and Clement lasted 90-minutes.

Elsewhere, Andy Murray and Andy Roddick marched into the third-round round with 6-4, 6-4 victories. Murray dismissed Andreas Seppi during the heat of the day session, while Roddick bounced Yen-Hsun Lu under the cool night conditions in Palm Springs.

Murray, who lost to Rafael Nadal in last year’s final, told reporters that he wasn’t expecting much from his form on Sunday.

“You’re not necessarily hitting the ball as well as you have been in practice.  You don’t know if it’s tension. You’re just a little bit surprised, maybe.

“But, saying that, when you haven’t played for a long time, you have to expect not to play your best the first match out. I’m sure next round out I’ll feel fine.”

Roddick, who recently endured a right shoulder injury, struck 10 aces while winning 78 percent of his first serve points.

Roddick told reporters that he was happy to survive the onslaught of his talented opponent.

“He was coming out of his shoes on every shot,” said Roddick of Lu’s performance. “So it was more of a, you know, you’re just trying to fight him off a bit.”

“I was really happy the way I returned tonight,” continued the 28-year-old. “I felt like I made a lot of returns, so that put pressure on him, you know, to come up with it.”

Roddick will next face Thiemo De Bakker, while Murray will face Michael Russell.

Other winners on day four action included: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Robin Soderling, and James Blake.

No. 5 seed Nikolay Davydenko was forced to withdraw from the event due to a broken left wrist. Davydenko originally sustained the injury while falling against Soderling during the semifinals of the Rotterdam event in February. Davydenko’s scheduled third-round opponent, Viktor Troicki will receive a walkover into the fourth-round.

Monday’s order of play will feature: Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Fernando Verdasco.

Quotes courtesy of ASAP.

Preview for BNP Paribas Open, Indian Wells, California

The season’s first Masters 1000 event in Indian Wells, CA will bring forward a few compelling storylines.

Gone are the lonely days of February, where many matches and tournaments were played and won—none of which will really be remembered. The tennis season officially bursts into gear this week in Palm Springs, ushering in seven months of block-buster and meaningful tennis. The meat and potatoes of the season which occupies March through September—Indian Wells through the end of the US Open—remains the pulse, points, and prize money for the game’s best.

A few missing soldiers, who have been absent from action for quite sometime will be the featured attractions at the Tennis Garden in Indian Wells. None other than Roger Federer, who has been sidelined with a lung infection and resting after his Australian Open win will lead the field. Rafael Nadal, who has been busy recovering from a series of persistent knee ailments will bring his vigor and tenacity to Palm Springs, and finally the Masters 1000 man himself, Andy Murray, who thrives in the best of three set format, will be making his first appearance since his brief and controversial stint in Dubai.

I’d be surprised to see nothing short of a Davis Cup hangover for the top players. Although the season has just begun, the back and forth grind through Europe and the United States could very well be a telling factor in this week’s results.

Nevertheless, we have a big tournament to cover here, and yours truly will be on site for the beginning of the festivities. I’m anxiously anticipating the “Hit for Haiti 2″ event, but there could very well be some cause for concern regarding the main draw.

Let’s now take a look at the top four seeds, and their respective quarters.

Federer’s Quarter:

Funny isn’t it, Federer is still the man to beat in men’s tennis, yet he hasn’t played a competitive match since January. The ultra fluid Swiss, who is a three-time champion at the event, remains in harm’s way of a recent lung infection and undetermined form. One can never really bet against Federer, but considering his nonchalant approach to his post-Australian schedule, you’d have to think that something could go wrong for Federer and fast.

Federer is slated to face “life’s a party” Marcos Baghdatis in the third-round, with crafty slicer and dicer Radek Stepanek in the round-of-16. Although Federer would be favored against both foes, both players have the weaponry to cause chaos for the top seed. Baghdatis in particular could give Federer something to think about considering his recent run of good form.

Other potential semifinal candidates in this section could include: Gael Monfils, Richard Gasquet and Andy Roddick. The French contingent may find it difficult to make head-ways in the desert considering their Davis Cup heroics over the weekend. Roddick, who has been resting an injured shoulder injury, has been hard at work with California resident Larry Stefanki finetuning his hard-court game. Roddick has yet to win a title in Indian Wells, but could put forth the required effort to complete his quintet of Masters 1000 events on hard-courts.

We’re all aware of Roddick’s dismal record against Federer lifetime—and trust me, it hurts Andy more than anything—but what we must also remember about the veteran American is that his attitude, and blue-colored self-belief, will always resinate through each and every event that he plays.

I know what you’re thinking: Two wins in 21 tries doesn’t leave much in the way for Roddick to prevail in this section. But when taking into account Federer’s inactivity since Melbourne, coupled with Roddick’s recent rest and practice in Palm Springs, a strong claim for an upset could be in order.

Pick: Roddick

Djokovic Quarter:

Entering his first big event with the No. 2 ranking, Djokovic will have the expectation of a deep run plastered on the back of his new Sergio Tacchini attire.

Capturing the title in 2008, Djokovic helped propel his boisterous Davis Cup team into the quarterfinals last weekend, while defending the first title of his career the week before in Dubai.

Considering his recent wear and tear, I’d normally be reluctant to pick Djokovic in reaching the latter stages of the event. But when analyzing his section of the draw, the word “cupcakeish” screams out like the Serb’s players’ box. With no one in sight to challenge Djokovic until the quarterfinals, I’d leave the task of an upset to either No. 11 seed Juan Carlos Ferrero or Tour trailblazer Marin Cilic.

Ferrero had an incredible month in February, which included winning two titles, and recording a 14-1 record. The veteran Spaniard will be eager to prove his mettle on hard-courts, while making tennis fans respect his recent success on clay. Cilic on the other hand has performed well on hard-courts this season—winning two titles and making the final four in Australia. Cilic remains the clear favorite for break out player of the year, and it wouldn’t surprise me in the least if he made Indian Wells the grounds for his biggest title to date.

Trailing Djokovic 4-0 in career meetings, Cilic appears to be on the cusp of figuring out his Serbian nemesis.

Djokovic, to me anyway, will need some time to recover from his marathon win over John Isner in DC action, while continuing his acquaintance with the No. 2 spot. The aforementioned recipe could very result in an upset of the vibrant Serbian—or Cilic’s skill-set could simply be too good for the rest of the field.

At any rate…

Pick: Cilic

Nadal Quarter:

What up, Rafa? Out of action for nearly six weeks, the defending champion will receive a resonating welcome to the Tennis Garden when he makes his return to his den this weekend. Keeping himself busy with a Gypsy, and a recovering knee, Nadal’s level of play and result in California is honestly unknown. Having a workable opening few rounds, Nadal will begin his title defense with two qualifiers and unheralded Frenchman Julien Benneteau in the third-round.

Nadal’s concerns could heighten in the quarterfinals with a collision course with the future of American tennis. Both Isner and Sam Querrey, who made the US proud over the weekend with their diligent Davis Cup performances, could face Nadal in the final eight. At this point, I’d say that either Isner or Querrey could upset Nadal, with both youngsters utilizing their commanding serve and forehand combinations to power through the 2010 season. Querrey’s game is slightly better suited to the Palm Springs desert, while Isner has proven that his size and heart have no boundaries.

If Nadal can squeeze past his super-sized American foes, either Nikolay Davydenko, or Fernando Verdasco would be his likely quarterfinal opponents.

Davydenko is far from his best form, and could very well withdraw before he strikes a single forehand. Verdasco, a quarterfinalist last year, will be coming in off of an injured back, while adamantly tweaking his new Yonex stick. To me, Isner and Querrey remain Nadal’s greatest adversaries in his quarter.

Nadal, if anything, has always provided his legion of fans with the courage and intensity that has allowed him to become one of the most prolific tennis players in the modern era. He will need every last bit of his mojo if he is to preserve through the traitorous field in Indian Wells this year.

You’d be hard pressed to find a single player or fan (love him or hate him) that won’t admit that a draw with Nadal’s name present makes for better theatre.

It is for that reason of the greater good that Nadal should reach at least his fifth final four in Indian Wells.

Pick: Nadal

Murray Quarter:

Falling apart and putting it back together has always been Murray’s method of operation. Just when we think the steady Scot is playing too defensive for our liking, a curving forehand winner around the umpire and his water bottle snaps off of his racket. By contrast, just when we feel that Murray is ready to make that defining push to greater pastures and triumph in a Major championship, we’re left with the words, “I can cry like Roger, it’s too bad I can’t play like him.”

Well, here’s the good news for Murray and his Union Jack crew of supporters: The world No. 4 relishes the opportunity to shine in a best of three set format, and he’s proven on countless occasions that he can succeed.

Beginning with a relatively easy draw, Murray could face his first real challenge against either Ivo Karlovic or David Ferrer in the quarterfinals. Neither player will likely defeat Murray, but both players could very test the defending finalist and take a set.

The bottom half of Murray’s quarter consists of “slug-em ’til you drop” Robin Soderling and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Again, both Soderling and Tsonga have shown their skills throughout the past year; both will be coming into Indian Wells tired and slightly injured.

I’d certainly be shocked to see Murray go down before the semifinals, and moreover, I’d be surprised if he doesn’t capture his first Masters 1000 title in the California.

Pick: Murray

Semifinals: Roddick vs. Murray; Nadal vs. Cilic

Finals: Murray vs. Cilic

Champion: Murray

Talk soon, everyone.

Roddick and Sampras to Sell Homes

Andy Roddick and Pete Sampras have reportedly put their homes in Austin, Texas and Los Angles, California up for sale.

The asking price for Roddick’s four bedroom home in Texas has been set for $4 mil. while Sampras’ home in Lake Sherwood, which is just outside of Los Angeles will be listed for $25 mil.

Both Roddick and Sampras will taking part in his week’s Indian Wells Masters event in California. Roddick will entered in the main draw, while Sampras will lend a helping hand to the “Hit for Haiti 2″ charity event.

Information courtesy of tennis.com.

Day 5 Review: Roddick and Querrey Highlight Memphis Action; Soderling Out of Marseille; Ferrero Continues Charge in Buenos Aires

Regions Morgan Keegan Championships—Memphis, USA

Top seed Andy Roddick will face his toughest challenge in Memphis this week, when he battles America’s No. 2 ranked player Sam Querrey.

Squeaking past Querrey in three sets last week in San Jose—which included two tiebreak wins—Roddick has struggled against the firepower of his younger ranked countryman.

Leading Querrey 4-1 in career head-to-head meetings, Roddick lost to the Las Vegas resident in Cincinnati  last summer.

Defeating Yen-Hsun Lu 7-6 (2), 6-4 on Thursday evening, Roddick told reporters that the big men in today’s game move much better than they did 10 years ago.

“I think the biggest thing is that when I started the guys who were big didn’t move well. But now you have guys like Sam [Querrey] who is 6′ 6″, 6′ 7″ and runs really well. His lateral movement doesn’t look awkward.

“Same with [Juan Martin] del Potro and a couple of these other guys. So you get their length, and I don’t think it’s coincidental that the game is getting bigger and taller.”

Along with the day’s blockbuster quarterfinal, Friday’s action in Memphis will feature the following three quarterfinals matches:

Ernests Gulbis will battle No. 5 seed Thomas Berdych in a matchup of two of the most talented but mentally fragile players on Tour; No. 6 seed John Isner will stand toe-to-toe with Ivo Karlovic in the tallest recorded ATP World Tour match in history—Isner is 6′9″ and Karlovic is 6′10″. The Croatian owns a 1-0 career head-to-head lead over the young American.

The day’s first match will pit hard-hitting German Philipp Petzchner against Slovak player Lukas Lacko. Petzchner is coming into Memphis off of a semifinals appearance in Zagreb two week’s ago.

Open 13—Marseille, France

Recent Rotterdam champion Robin Soderling was knocked out of the Open 13 in Marseille on Friday by defending finalist Michael Llodra, 7-6 (4), 6-4.

Llodra, who is one the most talented players on tour, struck 15 aces while winning 93 percent of his first serve points (37-40). Converting on the lone break of the match during the ninth game of the second set, Llodra improved to 2-0 against Soderling, while evening his year-to-date record at 4-4.

Winning  his eighth career match in Marseille in one hour and 26 minutes, Llorda will next face the winner of Mischa Zverev vs. Guillaume Rufin.

Rufin, who is making his debut in an ATP World Tour quarterfinal, continues to be a hot prospect for the French Tennis Federation at 18-years-old.

The youngster defeated Laurent Recouderc and Yannick Mertens en route to the final eight.

Defending champion Jo-Wilfried Tsonga continued his course at winning his sixth career title this week after disposing of Illya Marchenko 6-3, 6-4.

Nursing an abdominal injury, Tsonga breezed through the one hour and 34 minute match by breaking his opponent on three of 11 opportunities.

Winning 80 percent of his first serve points while using his destructive forehand to gain passage into the net, Tsonga captured his seventh win of the season, and first over Marchenko.

The No. 2 seed and world No. 9 will next face the winner of No. 3 seed Gael Monfils vs. Julien Benneteau.

The French fight later in the day will highlight the pair’s sixth meeting which Monfils leads 4-1. Winning the pair’s last three meetings, Monfils has not lost to Benneteau since 2007 (Indian Wells).

If Rufin can defeat Zverev, then the Open 13 will guarantee a home-country winner this year.

Copa Telmax— Buenos, Aires, Argentina

After day which saw national hero David Nalbandian withdraw from the event with an adductor injury, Friday’s order of play in Argentina will feature only three quarterfinal matches.

Nalbandian’s proposed quarterfinal opponent Albert Montanes received automatic entry into the semifinals after the injured Argentine opted to rest his leg. Nalbandian will be out of action for the next two weeks.

Montanes will await the winner of day’s most evenly contested match between No. 1 seed David Ferrer and Russian workhorse Igor Andreev.

Trailing Andreev 4-3 in career head-to-head meetings, Ferrer has won the pair’s last two encounters. Moving quietly through the draw this week, Ferrer defeated Simon Greul and Frederico Gil in routine fashion.

Bidding for his first title since 2008, Ferrer is currently ranked No. 19 in the world.

Andreev, who has dropped to his lowest ranking since July 2008, is coming off a semifinal appearance in Brazil last week.

Brazil Open champion Juan Carlos Ferrero will remain adamant on continuing his sizzling form on Friday in Buenos Aires, when he faces countryman Santiago Ventura.

Bidding to win his eighth consecutive match on Tour, Ferrero will look to impose his formidable forehand-backhand combination to offset his good friend.

Seeking his 14th career title, Ferrero would next face the winner of the day’s most anticipated match between No. 8 seed Horacio Zeballos vs. No. 4 seed Juan Monaco.

Monaco, who lost in the finals last year to Tommy Robredo, won the event in 2007 over Alessio Di Mauro from Italy. Deeming the Buneos Aires event as his favorite of the year, Monaco brushed aside Lukasz Kubot and Juan Ignacio Chela en route to the quarterfinals.

Zeballos, who recently won the ATP World Tour’s Newcomer of the Year award, defeated former French Open champions Gaston Gaudio and Carlos Moya in the first and second rounds, respectively.

The sold-out night session will undoubtedly be in full support of their two up-and-coming stars. Talk soon.

Day 4 Review: Memphis, Marseille, and Buenos Aires

Regions Morgan Keegan Championships—Memphis, USA

Top seed Andy Roddick avoided an upset bid from countryman James Blake on Wednesday evening in front of a full house at the Regions Morgan Keegan Championships in Memphis.

Defeating Blake 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (3), Roddick improved to 14-2 on the season, while snapping a three match losing streak to Blake.

Serving for the match at 5-4, Roddick lost serve before closing out at comfortable third set tiebreak.

Using 22 aces, while winning 76 percent of his first serve points, Roddick needed one hour and 57 minutes to advance.

Remaining the only top four seed left in the field, Roddick will next face Yen-Hsun Lu in second-round action o Thursday n evening.

The event has thus far lost No. 2 seed Fernando Verdasco (first-round), No. 3 Radek Stepanek (second-round), and No. 4 seed Tommy Haas (second-round).

Roddick had this to say after escaping a near defeat to Blake.

“He played well tonight. It was a battle,” said Roddick, who arrived in Memphis after reaching the final in San Jose last week and then went home to Austin, Texas to have a nagging shoulder problem examined.

“I expected him to play well. He normally plays pretty well in an atmosphere like that. There was certainly a buzz, about as much as in any match I can remember playing here.”

Blake, who fell to 3-4 on the year, was optimistic after his defeat.

“That definitely could have been a semi or a final. It felt like one,” said Blake.

Other matches that are set to take place on Thursday will include:

Michael Russell vs.  No. 5 seed Thomas Berdych; Leonardo Mayer vs. No. 8 seed Sam Querrey; Ivo Karlovic vs. Xavier Malisse, and Lukas Lacko vs. Jeremy Chardy.

Chardy defeated No. 2 seed Verdasco in first-round action, while Malisse clipped No. 4 seed Tommy Haas in a second-round match. Haas had won the event on three occasions.

Open 13—Marseille, France

Recent Rotterdam champion Robin Soderling will begin his Open 13 campaign today against Sergiy Stakhovsky.

Under the new rules of the ATP World Tour, a selected amount of 250 point Tour events will require the top four seeds to win only four matches in order to raise the title. Typically, a Thursday start to an event is rare, but a welcome change for the worlds’ best players.

Soderling, who began the year 0-2, quickly picked up his form last week in The Netherlands by defeating a quality field. Currently ranked No. 8 in the world, Soderling could leapfrog Andy Roddick in the ranking depending on how they each player performs this week.

No. 3 seed Gael Monfils, who announced earlier this week that he will not defend his final points in Acapulco next week in order better prepare for France’s first-round Davis Cup against Germany, will battle Italian Andreas Seppi in front of a supportive crowd later on Thursday.

Holding a 10-4 record on the season, Monfils has battled both knee and shoulder injuries to start the year.

French youngster Guillame Rufin advanced to his first career quarterfinal on Thursday by defeating Yannick Mertens 6-3, 2-6, 6-2.

Winning 82 percent of his first serve points, Rufin struck six aces and broke the serve of Mertens on three occasions throughout the one hour and 31 minute encounter.

Rufin will face Mischa Zverev in Friday’s quarterfinal round. Zverev defeated No. 4 seed Tommy Robredo in three sets on Wednesday.

The day’s final match will feature Oliver Rochus vs. lucky loser Illya Marchenko. Marchenko took the place of Mikhail Youzhny, after the Russian was forced to pull out of the event with an injured right hamstring. Youzhny suffered the injury while competing in the finals of Rotterdam last weekend.

Copa Telmax—Buenos Aires, Argentina

Argentine fans will have a chance to calm their nerves on Thursday, after a gripping second-round win by David Nalbandian on Wednesday.

The unseeded former champion, who is taking part in his first tournament in nearly a year, defeated tough Spaniard Daniel Gimeno-Traver 6-7 (5), 6-3, 7-6 (7) in two hours and 47 minutes.

Needing four match points to defeat Gimeno-Traver, Nalbandian advanced to his fifth quarterfinal in Buenoes Aires, while improving to 13-6 at the event.

Visibly struggling with his ailing hip throughout the contest, Nalbandian will next face No. 5 seed Albert Montanes, who defeated Pablo Andujar 6-3, 6-2.

Nalbandian leads Montanes 4-0 in career head-to-head meetings, losing only one set to the Spaniard lifetime.

Thursday day four action will highlight three hometown players vying for a final eight position.

First up, last year’s finalist and 2007 champion No. 4 seed Juan Monaco will battle countryman Juan Ignacio Chela.

Possessing a great clay-court game, Monaco has been touted a as potential darkhorse at the French Open Championships. The Tandil native (the same town Juan Martin del Potro is from), holds an 8-3 record on the season.

Top seed David Ferrer will continue his efforts towards capturing his first Tour title since ’s-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands in 2008.

Ferrer will battle tough Portugese player Frederico Gil for a place in the final eight.

The final two matches of the day will feature:

Marcel Granollers vs. No. 6 seed Igor Andreev, and No. 8 seed Horacio Zeballos vs. three-time champion Carlos Moya.

Quotes courtesy of Associated Press.

Roddick Confident That He Can Win a Slam This Year

Andy Roddick told reporters on Wednesday that he feels confident that he could finally breakout of his one-Slam wonder status in 2010.

Having lost an epic Wimbledon final to Roger Federer last year, the 27-year-old American remains 1-5 in Grand Slam finals.

“I don’t think I can have two consecutive comeback years,” Roddick laughed. “I definitely think this is the best shot I have of getting one of the Slam events, based on the conditions and the competition.”

Roddick, who is participating at the Regions Morgan Keegan Championships in Memphis, Tenn. this week, has been struggling with a right shoulder injury since January.

Quotes courtesy of Associated Press.

Roddick to Headline Atlantic City Event

Top ranked American Andy Roddick is set to headline the upcoming Atlantic City exhibition event on April 10.

Joining Ivan Lendl, Mats Wilander, and Marat Safin, Roddick will face the retired Russian, while Lendl and Wilander will face off in singles competition.

Roddick said he was eager to see Lendl hit the ball.

“I think we’re all going to be curious to see how Ivan is hitting the ball,” said Roddick. ”We haven’t seen that in a while, so there will be a little bit of excitement over that. I grew up watching Ivan Lendl and Mats Wilander when I was a kid, so when I heard of this opportunity, I couldn’t wait to be a part of it. I think it’s going to be a blast.”

Having never traveled to Atlantic City, Roddick was candid with reporters when stating how he would spend his time.

“Now, between tennis and blackjack, I just hope to break even,” Roddick said.

Quotes courtesy of Associated Press.

Roddick Still Not 100 Percent After Shoulder Injury

Top seed Andy Roddick spoke to the media on Wednesday ahead of his blockbuster first-round match with American James Blake in Memphis, Tenn.

Roddick, who aggravated a nerve in his right shoulder during a five-set quarterfinal loss to Marin Cilic during the Australian Open, told reporters that he was far from 100 percent.

“It felt great at the beginning [of San Jose last week] and not so great at the end of the tournament… Not one of my matches was pretty, but I was able to play five of them,” said Roddick. “Hopefully that will prepare me for this week.

”I’m going to negotiate through these next couple of weeks and then get in some good practice that I haven’t had since before the Australian Open.”

Roddick may find it difficult to receive the adequate practice and recovery time which he is seeking. Having to defend 500 points this week, Roddick is scheduled to compete in the Dubai Tennis Tournament next week. That would take Roddick into early March, where he has already stated that he will not be participating in Davis Cup action.

Under Roddick’s current schedule, the 27-year-old Texas native would have a week off before the year’s first Masters 1000 event in Indian Wells, California.

Roddick is currently ranked No. 7 in the world.

Quotes courtesy of tennis.com.

Day 3 Review: Memphis, Marseille, and Buenos Aires

Regions Morgan Keegan Championships—Memphis, USA

After Tuesday’s nights shocking exit of recent San Jose champion Fernando Verdasco, a wide open bottom half of the Memphis draw will take to the court on Wednesday.

Losing 7-6 (4), 6-3 to Jeremy Chardy during the night session, Verdasco appeared tired and not used to the change in venue. Having only one day to adjust the the different conditions in Memphis, Verdasco was far from his best during his one hour and 15 minute defeat. Verdasco will now reportedly take three weeks off to rest a sciatic nerve injury he sustained after the Australian Open. The 26-year-old Madrid native could also miss Spain’s first-round Davis Cup tie against Switzerland.

“With just one day in between matches and in different conditions, and not being able to practice on the stadium court before the match, it was difficult,” said Verdasco. “And it was difficult for me to get the timing. But he played a great match. He served really good.”

Whether he wants to admit it or not, Verdasco’s woes on Tuesday night were also attributed to his new Yonex racket. Changing to the new frame at the beginning of last week, Verdasco seemed hesitant when lining up his usually rock-solid forehand.

Chardy will next face Lukas Lacko, who defeated Bobby Reynolds 2-6, 7-6 (8), 6-3 earlier on Tuesday. Chardy also picked up his first win of the season after losing his first four matches of the year.

Wednesday’s order of play will be highlighted by the event’s best first-round matchup between No. 1 seed Andy Roddick taking on good friend James Blake.

Trailing Roddick 6-3 in career head-to-head meetings, Blake has won the pair’s last three matches. Dropping to No. 55 in the world, Blake has recorded a mediocre 3-3 record to begin the season. Changing rackets to begin the year, Blake’s best result of ‘10 came during the Brisbane, Australia event when he reached the quarterfinals (l. Gael Monfils).

Roddick, who is the defending champion this week, would lose 500 ATP World Tour points if he was ousted by Blake. The loss would also drop Roddick to No. 8 in the world in next week’s rankings. The American is currently ranked No. 7.

Elsewhere, defending finalist and No. 3 seed Radek Stepanek will battle the shaky but talented Ernests Gulbis; No. 6 seed John Isner will search for a quarterfinal spot against crafty Finn Jarrko Nieminen, and Evgeny Korolev will take on Philipp Petzschner, who defeated Taylor Dent in first-round action.

Three time champion Tommy Haas will make his first appearance of the week against fellow veteran Xavier Malisse. Haas has been busy in the public relations department as of late, announcing his engagement to Sara Foster, acquiring US citizenship, and legally changing his name in the past week.

The 31-year-old German will take a 9-3 winning record against Malisse into Wednesday’s contest.

No. 8 seed Sam Querrey will look to jump start his season against fellow American Rajeev Ram, while Mardy Fish will test his ailing knee against hard-hitting Argentine Leonardo Mayer.

Open 13—Marseille, France

Choosing to work on his hard-court game instead of defending his clay-court dominance of last season may end up costing Spaniard Tommy Robredo.

Opting to miss his title defense in Brazil last week, Robredo was defeated in the second-round of Rotterdam by Florian Mayer. Adding to his recent bad form on Tour, Robredo was ousted in the second-round of Marseille on Wednesday by Mischa Zverev 6-2, 3-6, 6-1.

Coming into the event as the No. 4 seed, Robredo will now lose the 250 points he gained from winning Argentina last year. Losing his serve on four occasions, Robredo showed some momentum in the second set against Zverev before faltering in the third set. Falling to 2-4 on the year, Robredo may lose his top 20 spot when the rankings are released on Monday.

For Zverev, the win over Robredo couldn’t have come at a better time. Losing his first four matches of the year, the German has now won two consecutive matches on Tour.

Zverev will now have a day off on Thursday, while preparing for his quarterfinal opponent on Friday.

Elsewhere, Julien Benneteau stormed into the final eight for the third time this season by defeating countryman Florent Serra 6-4, 6-4. Using his baseline and serve and volley blend of tennis to capture his eighth victory of the year, Benneteau won 70 percent of his first serve points while striking 11 aces. Benneteau will now await the winner of the Gael Monfils vs. Andreas Seppi match.

Other matches that are set to take place on Wednesday will feature:

Defending champion and No. 2 seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga vs. lucky loser Joessiln Ouanna; Michael Llodra vs. No. 7 seed Marcos Baghdatis; Guillaume Rufin vs. Mikhail Youzhny, and Jan Hajek vs. Yannick Mertens.

The Tsonga-Ouanna match has the potential to be a great encounter. Ouanna is an up-and-coming Frenchman loaded with athleticism and poise, while Tsonga’s power-driven game continues to climb up the rankings.

Copa Telmax—Buenos Aires, Argentina

After 13 singles matches overloaded the schedule on day two action, Wednesday’s four singles matches in Buenos Aires should allow spectators the comfort of not having to decide which favorite player to watch.

Aiming to win his seventh straight match on Tour, No. 2 seed Juan Carlos Ferrero will take on his second Brazilian player of the week, Marcos Daniel. Disposing of Ricardo Mello in straight sets on Tuesday, Ferrero will take a 1-0 head-to-head deficit against Daniel into their second-round clash. Ferrero was forced to withdraw from the pair’s previous encounter during the first-round of the 2008 French Open.

Capturing his 13th career title over the weekend in Brazil, Ferrero will be the player to beat this week in Argentina.

Winning his first Tour-level match in nearly a year, unseeded hometown favorite David Nalbandian will attempt to reach the quarterfinal of the Copa Telmax event against Daniel Gimeno-Traver.

Defeating Italian Potito Starace 6-2, 7-6 (2) in a rain-delayed first-round contest, Nalbandian appeared fleet of foot, while showing off his leaner physic.

Nalbandian told reporters that he was happy with his performance.

“I’m happy to be able to play tennis again, to compete,” Nalbandian said. “Being away from the circuit so long, it helped to play at home in Argentina. It helped to motivate me.”

Nalbandian holds a 1-0 career head-to-head lead over Gimeno-Traver, defeating the Spaniard in the identical round of the event last year.

No. 7 seed Victor Hanescu will face veteran Spaniard Santiago Ventura for a place in the final eight, while Pablo Andujar will take on No. 5 seed Albert Montanes.

Other notable winners on Tuesday included:

Former world No. 1 and French Open champion Carlos Moya won his first match in the last twelve months over Fillipo Volandri 6-2, 7-5, while fellow former French Open champion Gaston Gaudio was defeated in three sets by countryman No. 8 seed Horacio Zeballos 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.

Moya and Zeballos will face off for a place in the quarterfinals on Thursday.

Top seed David Ferrer also cruised into the second-round by defeating Simon Greul 6-2, 7-6(3). Ferrer will face Frederico Gil in second-round action.

Quotes courtesy of Associated Press.

Day 2 Review: Memphis, Marseille and Buenos Aires

Regions Morgan Keegan Championships—Memphis, USA

Following his maiden ATP World Tour indoor title in San Jose, California last week, No. 2 seed Fernando Verdasco will begin his campaign at capturing a second consecutive title  in Memphis on Tuesday against Jeremy Chardy of France.

Surprisingly, Chardy’s year-to-date results have been dismal at best. Beginning the year 0-4, the Frenchman could desperately use a Tour-level victory. Having never played Verdasco on the ATP World Tour, Chardy may have a shot a a potential upset. Verdasco will be coming into Memphis tired from last week’s efforts, and his change to Yonex rackets will undoubtedly remain an issue with his shot selection. Chardy does posses a great indoor game, but his low confidence may hurt him in the end.

Other matches that will take place on Tuesday in Memphis will include:

Ryan Sweeting vs. No. 5 seed Thomas Berdych; No. 7 seed Phillip Kohlschreiber vs. Evegeny Korolev;  Bobby Reynolds vs. Lukas Lacko; Ernests Gulbis vs. Robert Kendrick; Benjamin Becker vs. Ivo Karlovic; Wayne Odesnik vs. Michael Russell; Jarrko Nieminen vs. Dudi Sela, and Robby Ginepri vs. Yen-Hsun Lu.

Monday’s notable winners in Memphis included: Radek Stepanek defeating Kevin Anderson 7-5, 4-6, 6-4; John Isner ousting Ryan Harrison 6-1, 7-5, and Philipp Petzchner upsetting Taylor Dent 1-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Stepanek, who lost to Andy Roddick in last year’s championship match, will face the winner of the Gulbis/Kendrick match on Wednesday.

Open 13—Marseille, France

The French contingent will be out in full force on Tuesday in Marseille, when six local players will contest first-round matches.

No. 8 seed Julien Benneteau recorded his seventh match victory of the season over Stephane Bohli 7-6 (5), 7-6 (3) earlier on Tuesday, needing two hours to advance. Withstanding 14 aces from his opponent, Benneteau pounded nine aces of his own while winning 77 percent of his first serve points. The 28-year-old Frenchman, who is ranked No. 39 in the world, will next face countryman Florent Serra in second-round action.

Elsewhere, defending finalist Michael Llodra defeated good friend Eduardo Roger-Vasselin 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-4. Striking 17 aces while winning 89 percent of his first serve points, Llodra picked up his second win of the season and improved to 6-4 at the event. Llodra will next face Marcos Baghdatis in the second-round.

Ukrainian player Sergiy Stakhovsky setup a second-round clash with top seed Robin Soderling after fighting past Simon Bolelli 6-3, 3-6, 6-4.

Sodelring, who won his first title on the year in Rotterdam last week, holds a 1-0 career head-to-head lead over Stakhovsky.

Other matches which have been completed on day two action in France include:

Illya Marchenko defeating Ruben Bemelmans 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, and Josselin Ouanna dismissing last week’s San Jose semifinalist Denis Istomin 6-4, 1-6, 6-3.

Ouanna entered the 28-man draw after Christophe Rochus was forced to withdraw due to a lower back injury.

Matches that are still to come on Tuesday will include:

No. 5 seed Gilles Simon vs. Oliver Rochus, and Arnaud Clement vs. Andreas Seppi. Simon is taking part in his first Tour-level action of the season after being sidelined with a right knee injury.

Copa Telmax—Buenos Aires, Argentina

A full slate of clay-court tennis will shine during day two action at the Buenos Aires Lawn Tennis Club in Argentina.

Continuing his winning ways, No 2 seed Juan Carlos Ferrero captured his six consecutive match victory over Ricardo Mello of Brazil 6-1, 6-2 on Tuesday. Defeating Mello in the semifinals of the Brasil Open last week, Ferrero captured his 13th career singles title. Surrendering just three games on Tuesday, Ferrero needed 48-minutes to capture his second consecutive win over Mello, while losing only five points on serve. Ferrero was also stellar on his return-of-serve, converting on five of seven break point opportunities.

Ferrero will next face another Brazilian, Marcos Daniel, who eased past Paolo Lorenzi 6-1, 6-3.

Spanish journeyman Pablo Andujar posted his first match victory of the season against countryman Oscar Hernandez, defeating his older compatriot 6-4, 6-1.

Matches that are still to come on day two action will include:

The resumption of the David Nalbandian vs. Potito Starace match. Competing in his first Tour-level match since last May, Nalbandian captured the first set against his Italian opponent before heavy rain ended the day’s action.

Another match that will be carried over from Monday will pit No. 8 seed Horacio Zeballos vs. former French Open champion Gaston Gaudio. Gaudio is taking part in his first Tour-level action of the season.

Top seed David Ferrer will battle Simon Greul in first-round action; Lukasz Kubot takes on No. 4 seed Juan Monaco; Pablo Cuevas faces No. 5 seed Albert Montanes; Fabio Fognini will challenge No. 6 seed Igor Andreev; three-time champion Carlos Moya will look to capture his first Tour-level victory in the past year when he takes on the often injured Filippo Volandri; Richard Gasquet will look to hone his clay-court skills against Juan Ignacio Chela; Daniel Koellerer faces Santiago Ventura, and Marcel Granollers takes on Diego Junqueira.

As always, the day’s results can be followed on the TennisConnected lives-scores link, or through the Tourney Tracker on the home page. Talk soon.

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