Day Two Preview

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By Barry Newcombe

Tim Henman v Marin Cilic
Played--never previously met

Tim Henman says that coming back to the Artois Championships, returning once more to Queen's Club, is like coming home. As this is his fourteenth appearance and his record is 27 wins against 13 losses, Henman could justify all his good feelings about being here. He says that here are the best grass courts in the world and they have been good for him. Equally he has been good for the tournament as three finals and two semi-finals adequately testify. Set against that history is the fact that life on the circuit has not been kind to Henman this year with too many losses in his opening matches around the world. Obviously he will be looking for a change of direction in this tournament which he starts without the protection of a seed. On that basis the 54th ranked Henman could have faced any of the top ranked players. Instead he opens against the ambitious former world No 1 junior Marin Cilic, the 18-year-old Croatian who is a wild card entry ranked 110th. Cilic qualified for the French Open last month but, like Henman, was to be beaten in the first round. Cilic stands 6ft 5ins and is the second tallest Croatian on the tour.

Verdict--Henman looking to set the pace

Gael Monfils v Igor Andreev
Played-Andreev leads 2-0

This could be a close contest with Andreev, the 23-year-old Russian, ranked 60th in the world against Monfils, the 20-year-old Frenchman, ranked just two places below him. This is their first meeting on grass and Andreev has won their previous two matches which both took place in France. In the French Open last month Andreev produced one of the shock results of the tournament with a first round win over the third seeded Andy Roddick. He bounced on from that win with a string of further successes until he was halted by the sixth seed Novak Djokovic in the quarter-final round. Andreev missed three Grand Slams last year after having surgery on his left knee. Monfils also had injury problems last year and in these championships reached the quarter finals where he retired against James Blake because of an injured back. Monfils won two rounds in the French Open last month and then lost to David Nalbandian.

Verdict--a close call with Andreev likely to profit from his recent run of form.

Andy Roddick v Radek Stepanek
Played-Roddick leads 1-0

Andy Roddick has every reason to regard himself as one of the best players in the world on grass having won the Artois title three times and twice been a runner-up at Wimbledon. So far at Queen's Club Roddick has won 18 matches and lost two but will be looking to start well today after being beaten in the first round of the French Open and then losing a first match doubles at Surbiton. He is coached, of course, by Jimmy Connors who absolutely understands the requirements for playing well on English grass at this time of the year. Roddick ranks fifth in the world, one place higher than his finishing place last year, and will be anxious to gain a foundation for his challenge for Wimbledon. Stepanek was beaten by Roddick in their only previous meeting which was here in 2005 but went on to have his best year on grass last summer when he was a quarter finalist at Wimbledon. In the French Open Stepanek took out the fifth seed Fernando Gonzalez of Chile in the first round.

Verdict--Roddick to show who is better on grass

Danai Udomchoke v Ivan Ljubicic
Played--never previously met

Audiences at the Artois Championships have become accustomed to Paradorn Srichaphan flying the flag for Thailand over the years and now it is the time to see how his countryman Danai Udomchoke is progressing. He comes into the tournament this year with a world ranking of 115th at the age of 25.Having won his opening match against the Spaniard Oscar Hernandez, ranked 60 places above him, he now moves on to the rather more daunting challenge of the fifth seeded Croatian Ivan Ljubicic, ranked twelth in the world. Udomchoke won a round at Wimbledon two years ago and then lost to Ljubicic's fellow countryman Mario Ancic. Ljubicic jumped up the world rankings last year to a career best fifth place and during that run had his best Wimbledon when he made the third round. Opponents are always forced to respect players who serve aces and in that department Ljubicic has a fearsome reputation having led the pack with a total of 929 by the end of last year.

Verdict-Ljubicic to move on

Mardy Fish v Ivo Karlovic
Played-Karlovic leads 3-0

Ivo Karlovic walks tallest of all of the Croatian players at 6ft 10ins and since the rankings began in 1973 there has never been anybody taller in the top 100 players where he has maintained a presence for five years. Last week Karlovic was runner-up to the French qualifier here, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, in the final of the Surbiton Trophy which should leave him well tuned up for taking on the experience of Mardy Fish. Karlovic was runner-up at the Artois Championships two years ago as part of an impressive summer on grass. He lost only one of 66 service games at this tournament and tried to defy the odds in the first round at Wimbledon with a record 51 aces, but still lost. Spectators in the lower seats may have to be prepared to duck. Fish fared differently in 2005.He needed two operations on his wrist and dropped all the way down to 341st in the world before being back at 47th at the end of last year. He is now 36th and was one of Rafael Nadal's victims here last year.

Verdict--Fish to command


Fernando Lopez and Rafael Nadal v Jeff Coetzee and Rogier Wassen
Played-never previously met

Little more than 48 hours after winning the French Open for the third year running Rafael Nadal, the world no 2 in singles, switches his sights to the task of adjusting to the demands of grass court. That is why he is so eager to gain match play as quickly as possible and the first opportunity to do that is in the doubles event in the Artois Championships with his Spanish partner Feliciano Lopez with whom he first teamed up in 2003 when he was 16.They are no strangers to playing doubles together and have won ten of their 19 matches and shared prize money of $22,394.Nadal and Lopez were beaten in the first round of the doubles here last year and their last tournament was in Indian Wells, California, when they were defeated by Jamie Murray and Eric Butorac. The opposition for the Spanish pair comes from Jeff Coetzee of South Africa, who knows his way around in doubles and once was ranked 23rd in the world, and the Dutchman Rogier Wassen, once ranked 37th.Nadal says: "I have rented a house near Queen's so that I will have more time to practice and, while it will be difficult, I have great hopes and expectations." So, be warned.

Verdict-the chance for Nadal to settle in