Day Five Preview

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By Barry Newcombe

 

Andy Roddick v Marin Cilic
Played--never previously met

Andy Roddick is unlikely to fall into a trap of thinking that he is an easy step away from the semi-finals just because Marin Cilic is a wild card into the Artois Championships at the age of 18 and has a ranking of 110th in the world. Roddick is certain to have done some homework on the tall teenager from Croatia who beat Tim Henman in three sets in the first round and then in the third round halted the champion toppling run of the French qualifier Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. The impact which Cilic has made this summer is not surprising because he made sufficient impression in the junior ranks to suggest that he had a promising future. He made his senior debut on grass a year ago but has been a quarter finalist in the junior championships at Wimbledon and ended last year as the world No 1 junior player. Roddick had a three set win over the British wild card Alex Bogdanovic and could be starting to scent the title here which he has won three times already.

Verdict - second seeded Roddick into the semi finals

Fernando Gonzalez v Dmitry Tursunov
Played-Gonzalez leads 4-1

The 2007 Artois Championships are proving to be a happy hunting ground for Chile's top player Fernando Gonzalez who is third seed for the title. He was a quarter finalist here last year and now bids to go one round better against the Russian Dmitry Tursunov whose record on grass is impressive. Moscow born but American based for the past 13 years Tursunov was a quarter finalist here last year and was beaten eventually by Tim Henman. Tursunov enjoys playing on fast surfaces and there is ample evidence of that enjoyment both here at The Queen's Club and at Wimbledon where he has been in the fourth round for the past two years. Gonzalez has won four of their previous five matches and in their last meeting in Rome this year allowed Tursunov just three games. There should be a much closer contest this time because both players will start with the belief that they have a good chance of winning. The rankings say the sixth placed Gonzalez should do it. The 26th ranked Tursunov aims to defy the gap between them.

Verdict-Gonzalez to stay in front

Bob and Mike Bryan v Justin Gimelstob and Stephen Huss
Played--1-0

This quarterfinal in the Artois Doubles Championship matches the top seeded Bryan twins and their formidable record against the American-Australian pairing of Gimelstob and Huss who paired up in three tournaments in 2006. One of those tournaments was at Miami where the Bryans beat them in straight sets. Huss has a unique record in doubles because he and Wes Moodie became the only unseeded doubles champions at Wimbledon having qualified for the main draw. They beat the Bryans in the final as well. Gimelstob is a former French and Australian mixed doubles champion - both with Venus Williams.

Verdict-the Bryans to make the last four