2007 ROLAND
GARROS
DAY FIVE MEN’S
NOTES
Thursday 31 May
2007
Second Round
Bottom Half
Show court
matches
PHILIPPE
CHATRIER:
No. 14 Lleyton
Hewitt (AUS) v
Gaston Gaudio (ARG)
Paul-Henri
Mathieu (FRA) v
Gilles Simon (FRA)
SUZANNE LENGLEN:
No. 6 Novak
Djokovic (SRB) v
(Q) Laurent
Recouderc (FRA)
No. 2 Rafael
Nadal (ESP) v
(Q) Flavio
Cipolla (ITA)
COURT 1:
No. 16 Marcos
Baghdatis (CYP)
v Kristian Pless
(DEN)
No. 23 Carlos
Moya (ESP) v
Florent Serra (FRA)
COURT
2:
No. 21 Dmitry
Tursunov (RUS) v
Fernando
Verdasco (ESP)
COURT 3:
No. 20 Jarkko
Nieminen (FIN) v
(WC) Mathieu
Montcourt (FRA)
No. 12 David
Ferrer (ESP) v
Diego Hartfield
(ARG)
COURT 6:
No. 28 Philipp
Kohlschreiber
(GER) v Oscar
Hernandez (ESP)
COURT
7:
(WC)
Olivier Patience
(FRA) v (LL)
Mariano Zabaleta
(ARG)
Nicolas Massu
(CHI) v Igor
Andreev (RUS)
On court
today…
·
Twice-defending
champion Rafael
Nadal bids to
extend his 15-0
record at Roland
Garros when he
meets Flavio
Cipolla. The
Italian
qualifier is
making his Grand
Slam debut at
this event, and
at No. 227 is
the second
lowest-ranked
man to reach the
second round.
·
A
clash between
two Grand Slam
champions when
2004 Roland
Garros winner
Gaston Gaudio
faces 2000
Wimbledon and
2001 US Open
champion Lleyton
Hewitt. The pair
are meeting for
the seventh
time, notching
three wins
apiece from
their previous
encounters.
·
Another former
Roland Garros
winner, Carlos
Moya, plays
Florent Serra.
The 1998
champion has
reached at least
the third round
here for the
last five years;
his French
opponent has
never advanced
to the third
round in his
nine previous
majors.
·
No. 6 seed Novak
Djokovic, who
has the
second-highest
number of wins
this year behind
Nadal, goes for
his 37th
win of 2007
against Laurent
Recouderc. The
French qualifier
is the
lowest-ranked
player left in
the draw.
·
No. 16 seed
Marco Baghdatis
has a first-time
meeting with
Kristian Pless.
Both are former
top juniors,
although neither
won the Roland
Garros boys’
event. They are
both bidding to
reach the Roland
Garros third
round for the
first time.
·
Nicolas Massu
and Igor Andreev
meet in a
rematch of their
clay court
encounter in the
Davis Cup first
round in
February, won by
Andreev to end
Chile’s ten-tie
winning streak
on home ground.
Massu had
previously
beaten Andreev
en route to the
gold medal at
the Athens
Olympics.
·
No. 12 seed
David Ferrer,
who conceded the
fewest games in
the first round
(excluding
matches won by
retirement),
bids to reach
the third round
here for the
third year
running when he
plays Diego
Hartfield, the
Argentine whose
defeat of Robby
GInepri ended
American
interest in this
year’s men’s
singles.
·
No. 21 seed
Dmitry Tursunov
aims to match
his best result
at Roland Garros
with victory
against Fernando
Verdasco today.
The Spaniard is
looking to
advance to the
third round here
for the first
time.
·
Two players
bidding for
their 200th
career victory,
both of whom
play French wild
cards. No. 22
seed Jarkko
Nieminen hopes
to reach that
milestone
against Mathieu
Montcourt, while
lucky loser
Mariano Zabaleta
does the same
when he plays
Olivier
Patience.
·
A
total of six
Frenchmen in
action in bottom
half second
round matches.
Among those is
an all-French
match-up between
2000 boys’
champion
Paul-Henri
Mathieu and
Gilles Simon,
who have never
played each
other in main
draw competition
before.
COURT PHILIPPE
CHATRIER
NO. 14 LLEYTON
HEWITT (AUS) v
GASTON GAUDIO (ARG)
Head-to-head:
tied 3-3
2000 AMS
Miami
Hard
(O)
R64
Hewitt
76 67 63
2002
Barcelona
Clay
(O)
SF
Gaudio
64 75
2004 AMS
Monte
Carlo
Clay
(O)
R32
Hewitt
16 76 61
2004 World
Team
Cup
Clay
(O)
R1
Gaudio
63 57 76
2004 Roland
Garros
Clay
(O)
QF
Gaudio
63 62 62
2004 Tennis
Masters
Cup Hard
(O)
RR
Hewitt
62 61
A clash between
two of the seven
Grand Slam
champions to
reach the second
round of the
men’s singles.
2001 US Open and
2002 Wimbledon
champion Hewitt
takes on 2004
Roland Garros
champion Gaudio
for the seventh
time. The two
players have
shared the
honours in their
six previous
meetings
although Gaudio
leads 3-1 in
their clay court
clashes to date,
including
victory in their
2004
quarterfinal
here.
HEWITT
v
GAUDIO
26
Age
28
16
ATP Ranking
72
26
Titles
8
104-32
Career Grand
Slam Record
36-29
20-7
Roland Garros
Record
21-7
456-144
Career Record
271-187
74-35
Career Record
- Clay
210-98
18-8
2007 Record
6-11
9-4
2007 Record -
Clay
5-8
23-10
Career
Five-Set Record
6-14
3
Comebacks
from 0-2 Down
2
120-96
Career
Tiebreak Record
80-71
2-4
2007 Tiebreak
Record
0-1
·
Hewitt
advanced to the
second round at
Roland Garros
for the seventh
time in his
career by
defeating former
doubles partner
Max Mirnyi 63 61
63 in the first
round.
·
Hewitt is making
his eighth
Roland Garros
appearance.
Apart from on
his debut in
1999, when he
lost in the
first round, he
has always
reached at least
the third round
here.
·
Last year,
Hewitt lost to
eventual
champion Rafael
Nadal 62 57 64
62 in the round
of 16.
·
Hewitt’s best
performance at
Roland Garros
was in 2004,
when he reached
the
quarterfinals,
losing to
today’s opponent
Gaudio 63 62 62,
at the beginning
of a run of
seven majors
where he lost to
the eventual
champion.
·
Roland Garros is
the only major
at which Hewitt
has not advanced
to the final. He
has made two
final
appearances at
the US Open,
winning the
title there in
2001 (d. Pete
Sampras 76 61
61), and
finishing
runner-up in
2004 (l. Roger
Federer 61 67 60
64). He won the
2002 Wimbledon
title (d. David
Nalbandian 61 63
62), and lost in
the final at the
2005 Australian
Open to Marat
Safin 16 63 64
64.
·
Hewitt made a
belated start to
the 2007
European clay
court season,
following an
eight-week lay
off after AMS
Indian Wells
with a back
injury,
returning at AMS
Rome.
·
Following a
first round
defeat at AMS
Rome (l. Oscar
Hernandez 36 76
61), Hewitt
displayed some
of his best clay
court form,
reaching
successive
semifinals at
AMS Hamburg (l.
Rafael Nadal 26
63 75) and at
Portschach (l.
Gael Monfils 64
75).
·
Hewitt collected
the 26th
title of his
career, the
second highest
number among
active players
behind Roger
Federer, at 2007
Las Vegas,
defeating Jurgen
Melzer 64 76.
Hewitt has won
at least one
title every year
since winning
his first title,
aged 16 years 10
months at 1998
Adelaide.
·
In his ninth
successive
Roland Garros,
2004 champion
Gaudio
advanced to the
second round by
defeating
Frenchman Marc
Gicquel 36 63 36
64 63 in the
first round.
·
Gaudio is today
bidding to reach
the third round
here for the
sixth year in a
row.
·
Gaudio has
reached the last
16 here for the
last two years,
falling to
Nikolay
Davydenko 63 64
36 63 last year,
and to David
Ferrer 26 64 76
57 64 in 2005.
·
Gaudio was a
surprise winner
here three years
ago, saving two
match points in
the fifth set to
defeat No. 3
seed Guillermo
Coria 06 36 64
61 86 in the
first
all-Argentine
final in Grand
Slam history. He
became the
second Argentine
after Guillermo
Vilas to win a
Grand Slam
title.
·
Gaudio is one of
four former
Roland Garros
champions to
reach the second
round of the
men’s singles,
the others being
Spaniards Carlos
Moya (1998),
Juan Carlos
Ferrero (2003)
and Rafael Nadal
(2005-06). He
was also one of
five players
starting in the
draw to possess
a lone Grand
Slam title, the
other being
fellow Roland
Garros winners
Moya and
Ferrero, Thomas
Johansson (2002
Australian Open)
and Andy Roddick
(2003 US Open).
Johansson and
Roddick were
both defeated in
the first round
here.
·
Away from Roland
Garros, Gaudio
has never
advanced beyond
the third round
at either the
Australian or US
Open and has
failed to
progress past
the second round
at Wimbledon.
·
Gaudio’s ranking
has dropped from
No. 34 at the
start of 2007 to
No. 72 now. If
he wins today,
it will be only
the second time
that he has won
back-to-back
matches all
season. He won
two in a row to
reach the
quarterfinal on
clay at Acapulco
in March, before
losing to Juan
Carlos Ferrero
64 61. Gaudio
has lost in the
first round at
seven of the 11
events he has
played ahead of
this one,
including most
recently at AMS
Hamburg, where
he fell to
Richard Gasquet
61 64.
·
Having been one
of a record 15
Argentines to
start in the
men’s draw,
Gaudio is one of
ten to advance
to the second
round, equalling
their best
performance
here, which was
set in 2000.
PAUL-HENRI
MATHIEU (FRA) v
GILLES SIMON (FRA)
Head-to-head:
first meeting
As well as
having never
previously
played each
other at tour
level, these two
French
contemporaries
have never met
each other at
lower levels of
main draw
competition.
They did however
play each other
in qualifying
for 2005 AMS
Rome, Mathieu
winning 64 62 in
the second round
to gain a place
in the main
draw.
This is the
fourth
all-French
match-up at 2007
Roland Garros,
following the
first round
match between
wild cards
Jonathan
Eysseric and
Olivier
Patience,
between Michael
Llodra and
Nicolas Devilder,
and between No.
11 seed Richard
Gasquet and wild
card Nicolas
Mahut.
Mathieu and
Simon were among
11 Frenchmen to
reach the second
round at this
year’s Roland
Garros, the most
for the nation
since 1983.
Twenty-one
Frenchmen
started in the
draw here, the
highest
representation
for any nation,
but short of the
record 24
Frenchman who
competed here in
1968.
MATHIEU
v
SIMON
25
Age
22
40
ATP Ranking
56
3
Titles
1
15-18
Career Grand
Slam Record
4-6
8-5
Roland Garros
Record
1-2
122-122
Career Record
45-44
57-52
Career Record
- Clay
24-18
20-10
2007 Record
15-13
11-4
2007 Record -
Clay
5-5
2-6
Career
Five-Set Record
1-0
0
Comebacks
from 0-2 Down
0
52-46
Career
Tiebreak Record
11-17
9-2
2007 Tiebreak
Record
6-3
·
Mathieu
upset No. 31
seed Florian
Mayer 63 64 62
in the first
round.
·
Mathieu is
making his sixth
Roland Garros
appearance. With
the exception of
2004, when he
missed the first
half of the year
with a left
wrist injury, he
has played every
year since
making his Grand
Slam debut as a
wild card here
in 2001.
·
Last year,
Mathieu reached
the third round
here before
losing to
eventual
champion Rafael
Nadal 57 64 64
64.
·
Mathieu’s best
result at Roland
Garros came in
2002. As a wild
card playing in
just his third
major, he
advanced to the
round of 16 with
wins over Wayne
Ferreira,
Fabrice Santoro
and Jiri Novak.
He held a
two-set lead
against Andre
Agassi before
losing in five
sets, 46 36 63
63 63.
·
The round of 16
is Mathieu’s
best finish at
any Grand Slam
tournament. As
well as
advancing to the
last 16 here in
2002, he also
reached that
stage at the
2006 Australian
Open, losing to
Sebastien
Grosjean 75 62
62.
·
Mathieu has won
ten of his last
12 matches. He
won his first
title for five
years in the
lead-up to
Roland Garros,
defeating Albert
Montanes 61 61
in the final at
Casablanca. The
following week,
he reached the
semifinals at
Estoril, but
retired with a
right hip injury
when trailing
Richard Gasquet
1-3. He lost in
the second round
at AMS Hamburg
in his last
event before
playing here.
·
Mathieu missed a
month of the
2007 season
after rolling an
ankle when four
points from
victory against
Fernando
Verdasco in the
first round of
the Australian
Open. He
returned at Las
Vegas at the end
of February.
·
Mathieu was the
2000 Roland
Garros boys’
champion,
defeating Tommy
Robredo 36 76 62
in the final.
·
Simon
defeated Vince
Spadea 26 64 64
63 in the
opening round,
to record his
first victory in
three Roland
Garros
appearances.
·
Simon lost in
the first round
in both previous
appearances at
Roland Garros.
As a wild card
making his Grand
Slam debut here
in 2005, he lost
to countryman
Olivier Patience
62 62 46 63;
last year, as a
direct
acceptance, he
lost to Oscar
Hernandez 64 62
63.
·
This is Simon’s
seventh Grand
Slam tournament
and a win today
would equal his
best Grand Slam
result. He
reached the
third round at
the 2006
Australian Open
as a qualifier,
having wins over
Nicolas Massu
and Tomas
Berdych in the
first two rounds
before losing to
Thomas Johansson
63 62 61.
·
Simon is having
the best year of
his career. He
won his first
ATP title on
home soil at
Marseille in
February,
defeating Marcos
Baghdatis 64 76
in the final. He
went on to reach
a career-high
ranking of No.
38 on 19 March
(he plays here
at No. 56).
·
Simon played
five clay court
tournaments in
2007 ahead of
Roland Garros.
He won
consecutive
matches just
once, in
reaching the
round of 16 at
AMS Rome, having
wins over Andy
Murray and
Guillermo Canas
before losing to
Tommy Robredo 62
62.
COURT SUZANNE
LENGLEN
NO. 6 NOVAK
DJOKOVIC (SRB) v
(Q) LAURENT
RECOUDERC (FRA)
Head-to-head:
first meeting
DJOKOVIC
v
RECOUDERC
20
Age
22
6
ATP Ranking
306
5
Titles
0
18-9
Career Grand
Slam Record
1-0
6-2
Roland Garros
Record
1-0
90-42
Career Record
1-0
31-15
Career Record -
Clay
1-0
36-8
2007 Record
1-0
12-3
2007 Record -
Clay
1-0
4-3
Career Five-Set
Record
1-0
1
Comebacks from
0-2 Down
0
36-15
Career Tiebreak
Record
1-1
8-5
2007 Tiebreak
Record
1-1
·
Djokovic
advanced to the
second round for
the third
successive year
by defeating
Colombian lucky
loser Santiago
Giraldo 63 76
64, maintaining
his record of
never having
lost in the
first round
here.
·
Djokovic is
competing at
Roland Garros
for the third
time. The
highlight of his
Grand Slam
career so far
came here last
year, when
unseeded he
advanced to the
quarterfinals,
before retiring
with a lower
back injury when
trailing
eventual
champion Rafael
Nadal 64 64.
·
Djokovic also
advanced to the
second round on
his debut here
as a qualifier
in 2005. He was
also forced to
retire on that
occasion with
breathing
difficulties and
cramping,
trailing
Guillermo Coria
46 62 32.
·
As No. 6 seed
here, Djokovic
has received the
highest Grand
Slam seeding of
his career. He
entered the Top
10 for the first
time on 19 March
this year and
rose to a
career-high
ranking of No. 5
on 30 April. (He
is ranked No. 6
here.)
·
Djokovic is
having the best
season of his
short career,
having won three
titles so far –
he and Roger
Federer, who has
also won three,
share second
place behind
Rafael Nadal
(four) for most
tournament wins
in 2007.
Djokovic’s 35-8
win-loss record
for the year
ahead of Roland
Garros was
second only to
Nadal (36-6) on
the tour.
·
Djokovic won on
hard court at
Adelaide,
defeating Chris
Guccione 63 67
64 in the final,
and collected
his first
Masters Series
title at Miami,
defeating
Guillermo Canas
63 62 64, having
a week earlier
reached the AMS
Indian Wells
final (l. Rafael
Nadal 62 75). He
also won the
clay court event
at Estoril,
defeating
Richard Gasquet
76 06 61 in the
final.
·
Djokovic’s clay
court form has
dropped off
slightly since
winning Estoril.
He was a
quarterfinalist
at both Masters
Series events in
Rome and
Hamburg, Hamburg
being his last
tournament
before coming
here.
·
Djokovic played
the junior event
at 2003 Roland
Garros, losing
in the round of
16 to Daniel
Gimeno-Traver 62
26 63.
·
Qualifier
Recouderc
made a
successful Grand
Slam debut here
on Tuesday,
defeating
American
teenager Sam
Querrey 76 26 60
67 63 in the
first five-set
match of his
career.
·
Recouderc
finally
qualified for
Roland Garros at
his fourth
attempt, having
received a wild
card for the
qualifying
tournament here
for the past
four years
(including this
year). He lost
in the first
qualifying round
in 2004 and
2005, reached
the second
qualifying round
in 2006, and
finally won all
three rounds to
reach the main
draw this year,
with wins over
Jan Mertl (CZE)
63 64 in the
first round, No.
21 seed Raemon
Sluiter 76 63 in
the second
round, and No. 7
Juan-Pablo
Guzman 64 46 97
in the final
round. (Guzman
later entered
the main draw as
a lucky loser,
and subsequently
lost to Oscar
Hernandez in the
first round.)
·
Recouderc plays
here on a
career-high
ranking of No.
306 and is the
lowest-ranked
player to reach
the second round
of this year’s
men’s draw. He
has never been
ranked high
enough to gain
entry into
qualifying for
any of the other
majors. His
performance in
reaching the
second round
here is already
enough to earn
him a new
career-high
ranking inside
the top 250.
·
As well as three
unsuccessful
attempts to
qualify at
Roland Garros
before this
year, Recouderc
has also played
five other
tour-level
qualifying
events without
success.
·
As well as
making his Grand
Slam debut here,
Recouderc was
also making his
tour level debut
here. The
highest level he
had played
before coming
here is the
challenger
circuit, where
his career
highlights are
quarterfinal
finishes at
Valladolid
(Spain, hard
court) in 2004,
and at Penza
(Russia, hard
court) in 2006.
·
In 2007,
Recouderc has
competed in a
mixture of
challengers,
futures, and
qualifying
events and has
found his form
on clay in the
last two months.
He has won four
futures titles
on the surface
this year, all
since the
beginning of
April: two in
successive weeks
in Egypt, and
two more in
successive weeks
in Great Britain
and Algeria
respectively.
Including main
draw and
qualifying
events at all
levels of
competition,
Recouderc has in
fact now won 27
of his last 29
matches. (Note:
only tour-level
main draw
matches are
included in a
player’s
official
win-loss
record.)
·
Recouderc was
runner-up in the
2002 Roland
Garros boys’
tournament,
losing in the
final to
countryman
Richard Gasquet
60 61.
·
Recouderc was
one of 11
Frenchmen to
reach the second
round at this
year’s Roland
Garros,
equalling the
second-highest
number from the
nation to have
done so,
matching their
performance in
1983. The only
time that more
Frenchmen have
appeared in the
second round at
Roland Garros
was in 1971,
when 14 did so.
NO. 2 RAFAEL
NADAL (ESP) v
(Q) FLAVIO
CIPOLLA (ITA)
Head-to-head:
first meeting
NADAL
v
CIPOLLA
20*
Age
23
2
ATP Ranking
227
21
Titles
0
41-10
Career Grand Slam Record
1-0
15-0
Roland Garros Record
1-0
220-57
Career Record
1-1
122-13
Career Record - Clay
1-1
37-6
2007 Record
1-0
20-1
2007 Record - Clay
1-0
7-2
Career Five-Set Record
0-0
2
Comebacks from 0-2 Down
0
50-40
Career Tiebreak Record
1-0
5-4
2007 Tiebreak Record
1-0
*
Turns 21 on 3
June
·
Twice defending
champion
Nadal
defeated
18-year-old
Juan-Martin Del
Potro 75 63 62
in the first
round.
·
In three
appearances at
Roland Garros,
Nadal has always
won his first
round match in
straight sets.
On his Roland
Garros debut in
2005, he did not
drop a set until
his round of 16
match; last
year, he reached
the third round
before dropping
a set.
·
Including this
week, Nadal has
been ranked No.
2 for 96
straight weeks
since 25 July
2005. (Roger
Federer has been
at No. 1 for 174
consecutive
weeks, since 2
February 2004).
·
Nadal has
improved his
Roland Garros
record to 15-0
through the
first round. In
2005 he became
the first man to
win the event on
his debut since
Mats Wilander in
1982, defeating
Mariano Puerta
67 63 61 75 in
the final. He
defeated Roger
Federer 16 61 64
76 in the 2006
final.
·
Nadal is bidding
to become the
first man since
Bjorn Borg in
1980 to collect
a third
successive
Roland Garros
title, and just
the second man
for 93 years to
do so. Borg, who
won a total of
six Roland
Garros titles in
the periods
1974-75 and
1978-81, is the
only man to have
won three in a
row here in the
Open Era, and
the only player
to have done so
since the event
went
international in
1925. Three more
men achieved the
feat pre-1925:
Andre Vacherot
(won titles
1894-96), Paul
Ayme (1897-1900)
and Max Decugis
(1907-09;
1912-14).
·
Roger Federer
was, of course,
the last man to
win a hat trick
of titles at any
Grand Slam
event, winning
his third
successive
Wimbledon title
in 2005, and his
third successive
US Open title in
2006. [See
Preview page 2
for more
details.]
·
The last man to
win three or
more Roland
Garros titles,
consecutive or
non-consecutive,
was Gustavo
Kuerten in 2001.
(Kuerten also
won in 1997 and
2000.) Kuerten
is one of six
men to have won
three or more
Roland Garros
titles,
consecutive or
non-consecutive,
since the event
went
international in
1925. [For more
details see page
3 of the
Preview.]
·
Nadal arrived at
Roland Garros
having just
suffered his
first clay court
loss for more
than two years.
He had his
record-breaking
81-match clay
court winning
streak broken by
Roger Federer at
AMS Hamburg,
falling 26 62 60
in the final.
Nadal
accumulated his
streak after
losing to Igor
Andreev in the
Valencia
quarterfinals on
7 April 2005,
surpassing
Guillermo
Vilas’s previous
mark of 53
straight clay
court match wins
with his first
round victory at
Roland Garros
last year.
Federer’s defeat
of Nadal in
Hamburg was his
first clay court
victory against
the Spaniard in
six clay
meetings on the
surface, but
Nadal still
leads their
overall
head-to-head
7-4.
·
Nadal is one of
just two men,
along with
Buenos Aires and
Portschach
winner Juan
Monaco, to
collect multiple
clay court
titles so far in
2007. For the
second year
running, Nadal
claimed all
three of his
clay court
titles on
European clay,
winning at AMS
Monte Carlo (d.
Roger Federer 64
64 in the
final),
Barcelona (d.
Guillermo Canas
63 64), and AMS
Rome (d.
Fernando
Gonzalez 62 62).
By winning his
16th
career clay
court title in
Rome, Nadal
moved ahead of
Carlos Moya as
the active
player with the
most clay court
titles. He now
stands in tenth
place on the
list for most
career clay
court titles won
in the Open Era.
[See Preview
page 2 for more
details.]
·
Eight of the
last 12 Roland
Garros champions
entered the
event having won
at least one
clay court title
in the months
leading up to
Roland Garros.
·
Nadal’s 19-1
clay court
win-loss record
ahead of Roland
Garros is the
best of any
player.
Countryman
Nicolas Almagro
ties him for
wins on the
surface, but has
seven losses.
[For the 2007
clay court
leaders chart,
see page 13 of
the Preview.]
·
Nadal leads the
tour for total
titles collected
in 2007, having
won four
altogether
including his
hard court
victory at
Indian Wells in
March. He also
leads the tour
for total match
wins this
season, being
37-6 through the
first round
here.
·
There have been
four occasions
on which the
defending
champion has
lost in the
second round of
Roland Garros in
the Open Era: in
2004, when 2003
champion Juan
Carlos Ferrero
fell to Igor
Andreev 36 64 64
62; in 2000,
when 1999 winner
Andre Agassi
lost to Karol
Kucera 26 75 61
60; in 1998,
when 1997
champion Gustavo
Kuerten lost to
Marat Safin 36
76 36 61 64; and
in 1973, when
1972 champion
Andres Gimeno
lost to
Guillermo Vilas
62 57 86. (The
defending
champion has
never lost in
the first round
of Roland Garros
in the Open
Era.)
·
Qualifier
Cipolla won
on his Grand
Slam debut in
the first round,
advancing to the
second round by
defeating
Teimuraz
Gabashvili 76 63
52 ret. when the
Russian retired
with right wrist
pain.
·
At No. 227,
Cipolla is the
second
lowest-ranked
man to reach the
second round,
behind No.
306-ranked
French qualifier
Laurent
Recouderc, who
is also in
second round
action today
against No. 6
seed Novak
Djokovic.
·
Cipolla made
four
unsuccessful
attempts to
qualify for
Grand Slam
events,
including for
2006 Roland
Garros, before
coming through
last week’s
qualifying
competition.
Last week,
Cipolla defeated
countryman
Davide
Sanguinetti 62
75 in the first
qualifying
round, Marcel
Granollers-Pujol
26 75 64 in the
second round and
Benjamin
Balleret 46 61
75 in the final
round to reach
the main draw.
·
Cipolla lost in
the second round
of 2006 Roland
Garros
qualifying, to
Diego Hartfield
26 64 75.
·
Cipolla’s defeat
of Gabashvili
here by
retirement came
in just the
second
tour-level match
of his career.
Cipolla’s only
previous
tour-level match
was as a
qualifier at
2006 Umag, where
he lost in the
first round to
Jan Hernych 62
61.
·
Before coming
here, Cipolla’s
best results in
2007 were second
round finishes
at the
challenger
tournaments in
New Caledonia,
Durban, Bergamo,
Barletta, Monza
and Chiasso. He
was also
runner-up at a
clay court ITF
Futures
tournament in
Italy in March
(l. Giancarlo
Petrazzuolo 63
64 in the
final).
·
Cipolla owns one
career
challenger
title, winning
on clay at Turin
in June 2006 (d.
Marcel
Granollers-Pujol
63 63 in the
final).
·
Cipolla did not
play on the ITF
Junior Circuit,
so never
competed in the
Roland Garros
boys’ event.
COURT 1
NO. 16 MARCOS
BAGHDATIS (CYP)
v KRISTIAN PLESS
(DEN)
Head-to-head:
first meeting
This is a
match-up between
two former
junior No. 1s.
Pless was ITF
Junior World
Champion in
1999; Baghdatis
was ITF Junior
World Champion
in 2003. Neither
of them won the
Roland Garros
boys’ title.
BAGHDATIS
v
PLESS
21
Age
26
19
ATP Ranking
81
2
Titles
0
19-10
Career Grand
Slam Record
9-15
2-2
Roland Garros
Record
2-4
92-48
Career Record
55-77
28-13
Career Record
- Clay
9-16
22-11
2007 Record
5-11
8-4
2007 Record -
Clay
2-3
7-2
Career
Five-Set Record
1-2
1
Comebacks
from 0-2 Down
1
38-21
Career
Tiebreak Record
21-34
10-6
2007 Tiebreak
Record
3-8
·
Baghdatis
handed Sebastien
Grosjean an
unwanted 29th
birthday present
when he defeated
the Frenchman 63
62 64 in the
opening round.
·
Baghdatis is
making his third
successive
Roland Garros
appearance and
has reached the
second round for
the second year
in a row. He is
now bidding to
reach the third
round for the
first time.
·
Last year,
Baghdatis won
his first match
at Roland
Garros,
defeating Albert
Portas 64 64 67
61 in the first
round, before
losing to Julien
Benneteau 36 64
63 67 64 in the
second. He lost
to David
Nalbandian 06 64
64 64 in the
first round on
his debut here
in 2005.
·
Baghdatis
recorded his
career-best
Grand Slam
result at the
2006 Australian
Open where,
ranked No. 54 at
the time, he
reached the
final before
losing to No. 1
Roger Federer 57
75 60 62. En
route to the
final he
defeated three
Top Ten players,
beating No. 3
Andy Roddick 64
16 63 64 in the
round of 16, No.
8 Ivan Ljubicic
64 62 46 36 63
in the
quarterfinals
and No. 4 David
Nalbandian 36 57
63 64 64 in the
semifinals.
·
Baghdatis had
played five clay
court events in
2007 (including
Davis Cup)
before Roland
Garros. At
Munich, he had
his best career
result in a clay
court tournament
when he reached
his first
semifinal on the
surface, losing
to eventual
champion Philipp
Kohlschreiber 62
63.
·
In his other
clay court
events in 2007,
Baghdatis won
back-to-back
matches at AMS
Rome, losing to
Novak Djokovic
62 75 in the
third round, and
won two singles
rubbers for
Cyprus in its
Davis Cup
Europe/Africa
Group II tie
against Finland.
He suffered
first round
losses at both
AMS Monte Carlo
and AMS Hamburg.
·
Baghdatis’s best
performance in
2007 came on
carpet at Zagreb
where he
collected the
second title of
his career,
defeating Ivan
Ljubicic 76 46
64 in the final.
He also reached
the final a week
later on hard
court at
Marseille,
losing to Gilles
Simon 64 76.
·
Baghdatis lived
in Paris and
trained at the
Mauratoglou
Tennis Academy
until earlier
this year, but
has now moved
back to Cyprus
and is coached
by Yiannos
Hadjigeorghiou.
·
Baghdatis
finished 2003 as
the No. 1 junior
after winning
the boys’ title
at the
Australian Open
and finishing
runner-up in the
US Open boys’
event. He was
No. 1 seed in
the Roland
Garros boys’
tournament that
year, but lost
in the
quarterfinals to
Brian Baker 64
75. (He fell in
the first round
of the junior
events here in
2001 and 2002.)
·
Pless
won his first
match at Roland
Garros for six
years when he
defeated Yen-Hsun
Lu 63 62 76 in
the first round.
·
This is Pless’s
fifth time
playing at
Roland Garros
and by reaching
the second
round, he has
equalled his
best result at
this event. He
made his Grand
Slam debut as a
qualifier here
in 2001, and
defeated
Jan-Michael
Gambill 46 62 64
75 in the first
round, before
retiring in the
second round
trailing Xavier
Malisse 40 due
to a thumb
injury.
·
After reaching
the second round
on his debut in
2001, Pless lost
in the first
round the next
three times he
played here, in
2002, 2004 and
2006 (he missed
2003 with a
right shoulder
injury and was
not ranked high
enough to play
the main draw in
2005). As a
qualifier, Pless
lost his opening
match to Filippo
Volandri 64 76
64 last year.
·
Pless is now
bidding to reach
the third round
of a Grand Slam
event for just
the second time
in his career,
having played 15
majors ahead of
2007 Roland
Garros. Pless
reached the
third round at
the 2002
Australian Open,
losing to Stefan
Koubek 76 75 63.
·
A win today
would see Pless
win three
consecutive
tour-level
matches for the
first time for
four and a half
years, when he
won three in a
row to reach the
semifinals at
2002 Lyon. He
has never
previously won
three
consecutive
matches in a
clay court
tournament.
·
Before arriving
here, Pless had
won just four
tour-level
matches this
season in ten
tour-level
events. His best
performances
were second
round finishes
at Chennai, San
Jose, Memphis
and Portschach.
He did however
win a challenger
title, on indoor
clay at Saint
Brieuc, France
in April,
defeating
Farrukh Dustov (UZB)
63 61 in the
final.
·
Like his
opponent today,
Pless was a top
junior,
finishing 1999
at No. 1 in the
rankings after
winning the
Australian Open
boys’ title and
reaching the
Wimbledon and US
Open junior
finals that
year. His best
junior
performances in
Roland Garros
were third round
finishes in 1998
and 1999.
NO. 23 CARLOS
MOYA (ESP) v
FLORENT SERRA (FRA)
Head-to-head:
first meeting
MOYA
v
SERRA
30
Age
26
26
ATP Ranking
77
19
Titles
2
70-38
Career Grand Slam Record
5-9
29-10
Roland Garros Record
3-3
524-280
Career Record
44-54
309-124
Career Record - Clay
18-21
22-12
2007 Record
9-13
12-7
2007 Record - Clay
2-4
15-17
Career Five-Set Record
0-1
5
Comebacks from 0-2 Down
0
202-147
Career Tiebreak Record
15-29
10-3
2007 Tiebreak Record
3-8
·
1998 champion
Moya reached
the second round
by defeating
Andreas Seppi 61
36 63 26 60 in a
match that was
suspended in the
fourth set due
to bad light on
Tuesday and
completed on
Wednesday.
·
Moya is making
his 12th
Roland Garros
appearance. He
has played here
every year since
making his debut
in 1996.
·
Moya is bidding
to reach the
third round here
for the sixth
successive year,
and the eighth
time in his
career. He lost
in the second
round here on
his first two
appearances in
1996 and 1997,
and also in
2001.
·
Last year Moya
reached the
third round here
as No. 30 seed,
losing to
Nikolay
Davydenko 61 75
63.
·
Moya won his
lone Grand Slam
title here in
1998 by
defeating
countryman Alex
Corretja 63 75
63 in the final.
He is one of
four former
Roland Garros
champions to
start in the
men’s draw, the
others being
Juan Carlos
Ferrero (2003),
Gaston Gaudio
(2004) and
Rafael Nadal
(2005-06).
Ferrero advanced
to the third
round on
Wednesday while
Gaudio and Nadal
play their
second round
matches today.
·
Moya was one of
five players
starting in the
draw to possess
a lone Grand
Slam title. The
other four are
Ferrero and
Gaudio, fellow
winners of a
lone Roland
Garros title as
detailed above,
Thomas Johansson
(2002 Australian
Open) and Andy
Roddick (2003 US
Open). Johansson
and Roddick both
lost in the
first round
here.
·
Moya has had
good results on
both clay and
hard court so
far in 2007. He
was runner-up on
hard at Sydney
in January (l.
James Blake 63
57 61 in the
final), and on
clay at Acapulco
in March (l.
Juan Ignacio
Chela 63 76).
Other hard court
highlights were
reaching the
semifinals at
Chennai and the
last 16 at AMS
Indian Wells,
and on clay,
Moya reached the
semifinals at
AMS Hamburg just
over a week ago.
·
Moya’s run to
the semis at AMS
Hamburg included
wins over No. 10
seed Tomas
Berdych 36 75 76
in the second
round, No. 8
James Blake 16
63 63 in the
round of 16 and
No. 4 Novak
Djokovic 76 46
75 in the
quarterfinals.
Moya lost in the
semifinals to
No. 1 seed and
eventual
champion Roger
Federer 46 64
62.
·
At 30 years, 9
months, Moya is
the third-oldest
man remaining in
the men’s draw
behind Jonas
Bjorkman and
Bohdan Ulihrach,
having been one
of 16 men aged
30 or over to
start here this
year.
·
Serra
advanced to the
second round
here for the
third successive
year by
defeating Igor
Kunitsyn 63 60
62 in the first
round.
·
Serra has lost
in the second
round here for
the last two
years and is
today bidding to
advance to the
third round here
for the first
time. Last year,
Serra lost to
Paul-Henri
Mathieu 60 76 76
at this stage
having lost to
Radek Stepanek
63 64 61 in the
second round in
2005 as a wild
card.
·
This is Serra’s
fourth
consecutive
Roland Garros
appearance. He
lost on his
debut in 2004 as
a qualifier to
Vince Spadea 75
16 46 76 97.
·
If he wins
today, Serra
would advance to
the third round
of a major for
the first time
in his 10th
Grand Slam
event. He also
appeared once in
the second round
of both the
Australian Open
(2007) and the
US Open (2005)
but lost on both
occasions.
·
Serra is bidding
to win
consecutive
matches for just
the second time
in 2007 today.
At AMS Miami, he
recorded his
best result of
the season in
advancing to the
third round
before losing to
Feliciano Lopez
76 63.
·
Before coming to
Roland Garros,
Serra had won
just one match
on clay in 2007
in four
tournaments. At
AMS Hamburg, he
defeated Simone
Bolelli 67 62 62
in the first
round, falling
to Ivan Ljubicic
46 62 62 in the
second.
·
Serra was one of
11 Frenchmen to
reach the second
round at this
year’s Roland
Garros,
equalling the
second-highest
number from the
nation to have
done so,
matching their
performance in
1983. The only
time that more
Frenchmen have
appeared in the
second round at
Roland Garros
was in 1971,
when 14 did so.
COURT 2
NO. 21 DMITRY
TURSUNOV (RUS) v
FERNANDO
VERDASCO (ESP)
Head-to-head:
first meeting
TURSUNOV
v
VERDASCO
24
Age
23
24
ATP Ranking
51
1
Titles
1
21-12
Career Grand
Slam Record
19-15
4-2
Roland Garros
Record
3-3
86-77
Career Record
113-106
11-17
Career Record
- Clay
56-42
7-10
2007 Record
7-13
3-5
2007 Record -
Clay
1-4
8-4
Career
Five-Set Record
3-4
1
Comebacks
from 0-2 Down
1
45-31
Career
Tiebreak Record
49-49
4-1
2007 Tiebreak
Record
2-9
·
Tursunov
advanced to the
second round for
the third
successive year
by defeating
Alessio di Mauro
63 64 36 63 in
the first round.
·
Tursunov is
bidding to reach
the third round
here for the
second
successive year.
Last year, he
reached the
third round for
the first time
before losing to
David Nalbandian
26 57 64 62 64.
·
The third round
is also
Tursunov’s best
result at the
Australian and
US Opens. His
best Grand Slam
finish to date
has been the
round of 16,
achieved at
Wimbledon in
both 2005 and
2006.
·
Tursunov is
bidding to win
back-to-back
matches for just
the second time
this year. He
won four
consecutive
matches in
January, when
winning his last
two singles
matches at the
Hopman Cup and
then advancing
to the third
round of the
Australian Open
(l. Tomas
Berdych 62 61
61).
·
Tursunov has won
just two matches
since, both on
clay. At Estoril
he defeated
Florent Serra 46
63 61 in the
first round
before losing to
Guillermo
Garcia-Lopez 64
63 and a week
later at AMS
Rome, he
defeated Jonas
Bjorkman 76 36
61 in the first
round, falling
to Fernando
Gonzalez 62 61.
·
If Tursunov wins
and advances to
the third round
today, this
would mark just
the third time
in his career
that he has won
back-to-back
matches on clay
at tour level.
·
Tursunov was one
of seven
Russians to
start in this
year’s Roland
Garros men’s
draw, the
highest number
of Russians to
compete here
since the
break-up of the
Soviet Union.
Eight players
from the Soviet
Union took part
in the men’s
draw here in
1971.
·
Verdasco
defeated French
qualifier Jerome
Haehnel 46 62 62
60 in the first
round to reach
the second round
at Roland Garros
for the third
time.
·
Verdasco is
making his
fourth straight
appearance at
Roland Garros
and is looking
to reach the
third round here
for the first
time. Last year,
as No. 28 seed
Verdasco reached
the second round
here, losing to
Juan Monaco 46
64 64 61. As
well as last
year, he reached
the second round
on his debut in
2004, losing to
Juan Ignacio
Chela 75 62 62.
·
Unusually for a
Spaniard,
Verdasco has had
his best Grand
Slam results on
faster surfaces,
reaching the
round of 16 at
the 2005 US Open
(l. Jarkko
Nieminen 62 76
63) and at 2006
Wimbledon (l.
Radek Stepanek
67 63 46 64 62).
He had two hard
courts at home
when growing up.
·
Verdasco’s
victory over Di
Mauro broke a
seven-match
losing streak.
His last victory
before coming
here came at AMS
Indian Wells in
March, where
after a first
round bye he
defeated Andreas
Seppi 76 63 in
the second
round. Verdasco
then fell in the
third round to
eventual
champion Rafael
Nadal 64 64,
before losing
his first match
at six
subsequent
events before
arriving here:
AMS Miami (after
a first round
bye), the Davis
Cup
quarterfinals
versus USA (he
played just one
rubber),
Valencia, AMS
Monte Carlo, AMS
Rome and AMS
Hamburg.
·
Verdasco’s
victory over Di
Mauro was his
first on clay
this year. He
had not won a
match on clay
since September
last year, when
he reached the
quarterfinals at
Palermo,
defeating Jan
Hajek 62 62 in
the second round
before losing in
the
quarterfinals to
Ruben
Ramirez-Hidalgo
63 64.
·
Verdasco’s best
result in a
disappointing
year so far was
reaching the
quarterfinals at
Las Vegas,
before losing to
Marat Safin 61
64.
·
Verdasco has
reached three
finals in his
career, all on
clay. At 2004
Valencia, he
defeated Albert
Montanes 46 62
62 to take the
title. He
finished as
runner-up at
both 2004
Acapulco (l.
Carlos Moya) and
2005 Kitzbuhel
(l. Gaston
Gaudio).
COURT 3
NO. 20 JARKKO
NIEMINEN (FIN) v
(WC) MATHIEU
MONTCOURT (FRA)
Head-to-head:
first meeting
NIEMINEN
v
MONTCOURT
25
Age
22
23
ATP Ranking
130
1
Titles
0
27-19
Career Grand
Slam Record
2-1
7-4
Roland Garros
Record
2-1
199-140
Career Record
3-2
69-38
Career Record
- Clay
3-2
13-13
2007 Record
2-1
6-6
2007 Record -
Clay
2-1
10-4
Career
Five-Set Record
0-0
1
Comebacks
from 0-2 Down
0
77-58
Career
Tiebreak Record
0-1
7-3
2007 Tiebreak
Record
0-1
·
Nieminen
defeated
Feliciano Lopez
62 64 76 in the
first round,
advancing to the
Roland Garros
second round for
the fourth time.
·
Nieminen is
bidding for his
200th
career victory
today, and 70th
win on clay.
·
Nieminen is
making his fifth
appearance at
Roland Garros.
At last
year’s event, as
No. 16 seed,
Nieminen
suffered his
first opening
round exit here,
when a stomach
upset forced him
to retire while
trailing Raemon
Sluiter 62 76
21.
·
Nieminen
recorded his
best Roland
Garros result in
2003. As No. 30
seed that year,
he reached the
round of 16
before losing to
Fernando
Gonzalez 63 63
62.
·
Nieminen’s best
Grand Slam
performances are
two quarterfinal
appearances, at
the 2005 US Open
(l. Lleyton
Hewitt 26 61 36
63 61) and 2006
Wimbledon (l.
eventual
runner-up Rafael
Nadal 63 64 64).
He is the only
Finnish man or
woman to reach
the last eight
of a Grand Slam
tournament in
the Open Era.
·
Nieminen played
six clay court
events in 2007
prior to Roland
Garros
(including a
Davis Cup tie),
with his best
result coming in
his most recent
tournament at
AMS Hamburg. He
advanced to the
third round at
AMS Hamburg
before losing to
Novak Djokovic
75 46 64.
·
Nieminen’s best
result of 2007
to date came at
Marseille on
indoor hard in
February, where
he advanced to
the semifinals
before losing to
Marcos Baghdatis
36 63 62.
·
Wild card
Montcourt
upset Benjamin
Becker, ranked
87 places above
him, 63 61 63 in
the opening
round.
·
This is
Montcourt’s
second Grand
Slam event and
second
appearance in
the second
round. He made
his debut as a
wild card at
last year’s
Roland Garros,
defeating Marcos
Daniel 62 64 16
62 in the first
round before
losing to
Lleyton Hewitt
75 63 63.
·
Although Roland
Garros is the
only major where
Montcourt has
reached the main
draw, he has
tried to qualify
for the
Australian Open
for the last two
years. He also
tried to qualify
for 2003 and
2005 Roland
Garros before
receiving a wild
card for the
last two years.
·
Montcourt played
the Roland
Garros boys’
tournament in
2001, 2002 and
2003, his best
result being a
quarterfinal
finish in 2003,
when he lost to
Nicolas Almagro
75 75.
·
Today marks just
the sixth
tour-level match
of Montcourt’s
career, and his
first round win
over Becker was
his third
victory. As well
as winning one
match here last
year, Montcourt
recently won a
match at
Portschach,
where as a
qualifier he
defeated Max
Mirnyi 64 64 in
the first round
of the main
draw, losing in
the second round
to Albert
Montanes 76 61.
·
Montcourt has
played mainly on
the challenger
circuit this
year and won his
first career
challenger title
on hard court at
Durban in
January,
defeating Rik De
Voest 57 63 62
in the final. He
was also a
semifinalist in
consecutive
weeks at
Bescancon and
Cherbourg, both
in France and on
indoor hard
court. These
results helped
Montcourt to the
career-high
ranking of No.
130 he is
playing with
here.
NO. 12 DAVID FERRER (ESP)
v DIEGO
HARTFIELD (ARG)
Head-to-head:
first meeting
FERRER
v
HARTFIELD
25
Age
26
14
ATP Ranking
89
3
Titles
0
25-17
Career Grand
Slam Record
1-1
9-4
Roland Garros
Record
1-1
173-130
Career Record
11-10
101-62
Career Record -
Clay
11-10
30-11
2007 Record
9-8
13-4
2007 Record -
Clay
9-8
5-1
Career Five-Set
Record
1-0
2
Comebacks from
0-2 Down
0
32-37
Career Tiebreak
Record
6-4
2-4
2007 Tiebreak
Record
4-1
·
Ferrer
defeated Daniele
Bracciali 61 61
62 in the first
round. In terms
of games
conceded this
was the easiest
first round win,
excluding
matches won by
retirement.
·
Ferrer is
playing his
fifth successive
Roland Garros.
He lost in the
second round in
his first two
appearances here
in 2003-04.
·
At last year’s
Roland Garros,
as No. 15 seed,
Ferrer advanced
to the third
round before
losing to
compatriot Ruben
Ramirez-Hidalgo
76 75 64.
·
Ferrer’s best
Roland Garros
performance came
in 2005 when he
reached his only
Grand Slam
quarterfinal to
date, falling to
eventual
champion Rafael
Nadal 75 62 60.
·
No. 12 is
Ferrer’s highest
seeding at
Roland Garros
and just below
his highest-ever
at a major,
which occurred
when he was
seeded No. 11 at
the 2006
Australian Open
and the 2006 US
Open.
·
Ferrer started
2007 in good
form, defeating
Tommy Robredo 64
62 in the final
at Auckland on
hard court to
collect the
third title of
his career.
·
Ferrer has
enjoyed a good
European clay
court season,
reaching the
semifinals at
Barcelona, the
quarterfinals at
both AMS Monte
Carlo and AMS
Hamburg, as well
as winning all
three of his
matches at last
week’s World
Team Cup.
·
Hartfield
recorded his
first victory in
a Grand Slam
event here on
Wednesday,
defeating Robby
Ginepri 64 16 57
64 62, in a
match that had
been suspended
at one set all
due to bad light
on Tuesday.
·
In defeating
Ginepri in the
first round
here, Hartfield
ended American
interest in this
year’s men’s
singles at
Roland Garros,
meaning that for
the first time
in the Open Era
no American man
advanced to the
second round at
Roland Garros.
[For more
details, see Day
4 Review.]
·
Last year, on
his Grand Slam
debut, as a
qualifier,
Hartfield lost
to top seed
Roger Federer 75
76 62 here.
·
Hartfield’s
success in last
year’s
qualifying event
at Roland Garros
was his only one
to date in seven
previous
attempts. He
reached the
second
qualifying round
at 2005
Wimbledon (l.
Arvind Parmar 76
63) and the
final qualifying
round at 2006
Wimbledon (l.
Kevin Kim 76 75
61) but has
failed to win a
match in his
other four
attempts.
·
Hartfield made
his tour level
debut at last
year’s Roland
Garros and
played one
subsequent event
in 2006,
reaching the
third round at
Stuttgart.
·
Hartfield has
played mainly at
tour level in
2007, reaching
his first career
semifinal at his
hometown event
at Buenos Aires
on clay in
February (l.
Alessio Di Mauro
61 64) and also
the quarterfinal
at Portschach
last week (l.
Lleyton Hewitt
62 62).
·
Hartfield has
also played on
the challenger
circuit in 2007.
His best result
is reaching the
final at Sao
Paolo in January
on hard, his
only non-clay
court tournament
of the year so
far. He also
reached the
semifinal at
Prague and the
quarterfinal at
Bogota.
·
Hartfield
reached a
career-high
ranking of No.
80 on 19 March
2007 and plays
here ranked No.
89.
COURT 6
NO. 28 PHILIPP
KOHLSCHREIBER
(GER) v OSCAR
HERNANDEZ (ESP)
Head-to-head:
Hernandez leads
1-0
2006
Palermo
Clay
(O)
R32
Hernandez
61 61
KOHLSCHREIBER
v
HERNANDEZ
23
Age
29
32
ATP Ranking
61
1
Titles
0
10-11
Career Grand
Slam Record
3-10
2-2
Roland Garros
Record
3-3
61-74
Career Record
28-51
27-33
Career Record -
Clay
28-43
18-13
2007 Record
8-6
12-5
2007 Record -
Clay
8-6
1-1
Career Five-Set
Record
0-0
0
Comebacks from
0-2 Down
0
27-20
Career Tiebreak
Record
16-14
10-1
2007 Tiebreak
Record
5-3
COURT 7
(WC) OLIVIER
PATIENCE (FRA) v
(LL) MARIANO
ZABALETA (ARG)
Head-to-head:
Zabaleta leads
1-0
2006
Palermo
Clay
(O)
R32
Zabaleta
75 36
63
PATIENCE
v
ZABALETA
27
Age
29
129
ATP Ranking
88
0
Titles
3
5-10
Career Grand
Slam Record
20-26
3-3
Roland Garros
Record
11-8
20-36
Career Record
199-207
14-20
Career Record
- Clay
146-114
3-5
2007 Record
6-4
3-3
2007 Record -
Clay
6-4
1-3
Career
Five-Set Record
3-9
1
Comebacks
from 0-2 Down
0
10-16
Career
Tiebreak Record
77-86
0-0
2007 Tiebreak
Record
3-2
·
Patience
defeated
17-year-old
fellow wild card
Jonathan
Eysseric in the
first round 61
36 62 64.
·
This is
Patience’s
fourth Roland
Garros
appearance,
having played
here for four
years in a row,
each time as a
wild card. He
lost in the
first round here
last year to Ivo
Karlovic 76 76
76.
·
Patience is
bidding to reach
the third round
of his home
Grand Slam event
for the first
time. He has
twice previously
reached the
second round: in
2004 (l.
Hyung-Taik Lee
64 64 63) and in
2005 (l. David
Ferrer 63 76
75).
·
If he wins
today, Patience
will equal his
best result at
any major,
having advanced
to the third
round at the
2004 Australian
Open as a
qualifier. He
had back-to-back
wins over two
Russians, Igor
Andreev and
Nikolay
Davydenko,
before losing to
James Blake 61
63 62.
·
Patience is
bidding to win
back-to-back
tour-level
matches for the
first time since
February 2006,
when he won
three in a row
on clay to reach
the semifinals
at Salvador (l.
Alberto Martin
62 57 76).
·
Roland Garros is
just Patience’s
sixth tour-level
event of 2007.
So far he has
not progressed
beyond the
second round at
any tour-level
tournament this
year, losing at
this stage at
Estoril, where
he played as a
qualifier.
Patience went
1-1 in the round
robin at Vina
Del Mar, and had
first round
losses at
Chennai, the
Australian Open
and Costa do
Sauipe.
·
Patience has
also played
challengers this
season, his
highlight being
a runner-up
finish at Rabat
(MAR) on clay in
March, where he
lost in the
final to Stefano
Galvani 61 61.
He was also a
semifinalist at
the San Remo
Challenger (ITA),
his last event
before playing
here. Fourteen
of his 17
challenger, ATP
and qualifying
tournaments have
been on clay.
·
Lucky loser
Zabaleta
upset countryman
and No. 26 seed
Agustin Calleri
64 67 76 75 in
the first round.
·
Zabaleta is
hoping to have
his 200th
career victory
today.
·
Zabaleta is
making his ninth
appearance at
Roland Garros.
He played for
eight years in a
row 1997-2004,
but missed the
last two years.
He was absent
from the 2005
event because of
a foot injury,
and in 2006
tried to
qualify, but
lost in the
first qualifying
round to Harel
Levy 36 63 75.
·
Zabaleta was the
No. 1 seed in
the qualifying
event for this
year’s Roland
Garros. He
defeated
Augustin Gensse
(FRA) 63 64 in
the first round
and Wayne
Odesnik (USA) 76
57 63 in the
second round,
then lost in the
final round to
Marcos Daniel
(BRA) 63 36 64.
He entered the
main draw as a
lucky loser
along with Santiago Giraldo, Juan-Pablo Guzman and Fernando
Vicente due to
the withdrawals
of Andy Murray,
Tommy Haas,
Mardy Fish and
Evgeny Korolev.
·
Zabaleta is making his sixth appearance in the Roland Garros
second round.
His best results
at this event
are round of 16
finishes in 2002
and 2003: in
2002 he lost to
Alex Corretja 63
62 75, and in
2003 he lost to
Guillermo Coria
64 76 57 67 63.
·
The highlight of Zabaleta’s Grand Slam career was reaching
the
quarterfinals at
the 2001 US
Open, where he
lost to
defending
champion Marat
Safin 64 64 62.
That is the only
time that
Zabaleta has won
any matches at
the US Open in
seven
appearances
there.
·
Zabaleta is bidding to reach the third round of a Grand Slam
tournament for
the first time
since here four
years ago, when
he advanced to
the round of 16
for the second
straight year
(see above).
·
Zabaleta has played limited tour-level events in 2007, and
they have all
been on clay. He
did not win
back-to-back
tour-level
matches on South
American clay,
but reached the
final as a
qualifier at
Houston in
April, losing to
Ivo Karlovic 64
61.
·
Zabaleta has played a mixture of tour-level, challenger and
qualifying
events in 2007,
all of which
have been on
clay. He has won
two challenger
titles, at La
Serena (CHI) and
Bermuda, and was
runner-up at
another in
Florianopolis
(BRA).
·
Zabaleta won the Roland Garros junior title 12 years ago,
defeating
compatriot and
namesake Mariano
Puerta 62 63 in
the 1995 final.
NICOLAS MASSU
(CHI) v IGOR
ANDREEV (RUS)
Head-to-head:
tied 1-1
2004 Athens
Olympics
Hard
(O)
R16 Massu
63 67
64
2007 Davis
Cup WG
1R Clay
(O)
R5
Andreev 62 61 67
64
Massu and
Andreev have met
twice previously
representing
their countries.
This is a
rematch of their
clay court
encounter on 11
February this
year, when
Andreev defeated
Massu in the
decisive fifth
rubber of the
Chile v Russia
Davis Cup World
Group first
round tie in La
Serena, Chile.
The win handed
defending
champions Russia
a 3-2 victory,
and ended
Chile’s ten-tie
winning streak
at home.
Massu’s victory
over Andreev in
the third round
of the 2004
Olympics led
eventually to
the greatest
moment of
Massu’s career.
He went on to
win the singles
gold medal in
Athens, having a
day earlier
teamed with
Fernando
Gonzalez to win
the doubles and
so hand Chile
its first
Olympic gold
medal in any
sport.
MASSU
v
ANDREEV
27
Age
23
49
ATP Ranking
125
6
Titles
3
21-26
Career Grand
Slam Record
13-10
7-6
Roland Garros
Record
6-2
233-189
Career Record
98-88
146-90
Career Record
- Clay
48-38
15-14
2007 Record
14-13
14-10
2007 Record -
Clay
12-9
4-6
Career
Five-Set Record
1-5
0
Comebacks
from 0-2 Down
0
95-73
Career
Tiebreak Record
39-41
9-4
2007 Tiebreak
Record
2-8
·
Massu
outlasted fellow
South American
Luis Horna 64 75
36 67 62 in the
first round,
recording his
fourth five-set
victory in ten
played. His win
over Horna
avenged his
defeat by the
Peruvian in the
2007 Vina Del
Mar final (see
below).
·
Massu is making
his seventh
appearance at
Roland Garros.
He reached the
third round last
year, as No. 32
seed falling to
eventual
runner-up Roger
Federer 61 62 67
75.
·
Massu is today
bidding to equal
his best Roland
Garros result.
As well as last
year (see
above), he
reached the
third round at
2004 Roland
Garros before
losing to Tommy
Robredo 62 60
62.
·
Massu recorded
the best Grand
Slam result of
his career at
the 2005 US
Open, where he
reached the
round of 16,
defeating
Stanislas
Wawrinka 64 63
60 in the third
round before
falling to
eventual
runner-up
Guillermo Coria
64 26 67 62 62.
·
Clay is the only
surface on which
Massu has won
back-to-back
matches in 2007.
His highlight so
far this season
was reaching the
final in his
hometown of Vina
Del Mar, losing
to Luis Horna 75
63.
·
Massu is the
only remaining
Chilean in the
men’s draw.
Three Chileans
started here,
but the other
two lost in the
opening round.
No. 5 seed and
2007 Australian
Open runner-up
Fernando
Gonzalez fell to
Radek Stepanek,
while qualifier
Paul Capdeville
lost to No. 29
Filippo Volandri.
·
Andreev
upset No. 3 seed
Andy Roddick 36
64 63 64 in the
first round .
·
Andreev is
making his third
appearance at
Roland Garros,
but his first
for two years,
having missed
six months of
the 2006 season,
from the end of
April to
November, after
left knee
surgery.
·
Andreev had his
career-best
Grand Slam
result on his
first Roland
Garros
appearance in
2004, advancing
to the round of
16. He upset
defending
champion Juan
Carlos Ferrero
64 62 63 in the
second round,
causing the
joint-earliest
loss by a
defending
champion here in
the Open Era,
going on to fall
to eventual
winner Gaston
Gaudio 64 75 63.
·
Andreev reached
a career-high
ranking of No.
24 on 3 April
2006, shortly
before
undergoing knee
surgery on 28
April. He
returned for the
last event of
the season, AMS
Paris, and made
a full comeback
for 2007.
Andreev dipped
down to No. 235
in the rankings
on 2 April this
year, but plays
here on a
protected
ranking of No.
27.
·
Andreev has had
his best results
on clay in 2007.
Having not got
beyond the
second round at
any hard court
event, his clay
court highlights
are winning two
matches at AMS
Monte Carlo to
reach the round
of 16, upsetting
Fernando
Gonzalez 62 26
63 in the second
round then
losing to Juan
Carlos Ferrero
63 63, and
reaching the
round of 16 at
AMS Hamburg
before losing to
eventual
runner-up Rafael
Nadal 64 61.
·
Andreev’s other
clay court
highlight of the
season came in
Russia’s Davis
Cup World Group
first round tie,
a potentially
tricky away
encounter for
the defending
champions
against Chile in
La Serena (see
also
head-to-head
above). Andreev
won both his
singles matches,
defeating
Fernando
Gonzalez 46 64
63 62 in the
second rubber
and today’s
opponent Massu
62 61 67 64 in
the decisive
fifth rubber, to
end Chile’s
ten-home-tie
winning streak.
(Russia will
host Germany in
September’s
semifinals.)
·
Until AMS
Hamburg, Andreev
had the
distinction of
being the last
man to defeat
Rafael Nadal on
clay, doing so
in the 2005
Valencia
quarterfinals en
route to the
title. Nadal
then embarked on
his 81-match
winning streak
on the surface,
ended in the
Hamburg final by
Roger Federer.
