Stella Artois Championships Wednesday Preview
Back to list >Andy Roddick v Frank Dancevic
PLAYED: never previously met
Defending champion Andy Roddick of the USA has been hurtling big serves around this tournament for a few years and now starts off in search of a fourth title in a row. He begins against the Canadian Frank Dancevic who comes from Niagara Falls and won three matches in qualifying for the main draw in the Stella Artois and then won a first round match against the Dane Kenneth Carlsen. Roddick has won the Stella Artois title for the past three championships and his victory last year stands alongside titles in four other tournaments in 2005. Roddick was runner up at Wimbledon in the past two years and as US Open champion in 2003 has real experience of life at the top end of the game. Roddick will be more than keen to start business here having been defeated in the first round of the French Open last month.
Verdict: Roddick to start convincingly
Ivo Minar v Sebastien Grosjean
PLAYED: never previously met
Sebastien Grosjean is a familiar friend at the Stella Artois after being runner up in successive years, 2003 and 2004, and then quarter finalist last year when Andy Roddick took care of his ambitions. Grosjean is 11th seed for the Stella Artois title this time and will be carrying French hopes that he make as much impact as in previous years. As a lover of the London scene and a keen football fan Grosjean will have plenty to keep him occupied off court and is probably concerned that France failed to score against Switzerland in the World Cuplast night.He starts today against Ivo Minar of the Czech Republic.Minar made his Grand Slam debut a year ago when he played at Wimbledon for the first time and was beaten by eventual champion Roger Federer in the second round. Grosjean had a 6-2 record on grass last year and has twice been a semi-finalist at Wimbledon.
Verdict: Grosjean to set the tempo
Rafael Nadal v Mardy Fish
PLAYED: Nadal leads 1-0
There will be all kinds of excitement around the famous Centre Court at Queen's Club today because of the debut in the Stella Artois of the reigning world No 2 and back to back French Open champion Rafael Nadal of Spain. Three days ago Nadal beat the world no 1 Roger Federer in the French final in Paris and in the crowded celebratory hours since has come into London with the accepted problem of adjusting to playing on a grass court with which he has had little experience. The last time that a winner from Paris came direct to the Stella Artois was Ivan Lendl in 1984 and his fate at Queen's Club was to lose in the first round to the American Leif Shiraz.Maybe Lendl's experience put off a few contenders for a while but Nadal is of another age and some would say of another planet because of the way this 20-year-old left hander from Mallorca has established an unbeaten run of 60 matches on clay. Today he has to cope with the challenge of the wild card Mardy Fish of the USA who was winning the Surbiton Trophy on grass while Nadal took Paris. An intriguing contest beckons.
Verdict: Nadal under pressure to make the changeover.
Tim Henman v Ramon Delgado
PLAYED: never previously met
Tim Henman anchored his way into the familiar home territory of the Stella Artois with a victory over Andre Agassi and that put him in a satisfied mood at the start of a tournament which is an important part of his tennis year--at home and on the eve of Wimbledon. Three times a runner-up here Henman had to settle for a quarter final finish last year when Thomas Johansson beat him. Now he attempts to move on to the third round when he takes on the Paraguayan Ramon Delgado who is a few places short of the top 100 in the world rankings. Delgado,who turns 30 next November, has four first round defeats at Wimbledon on his record but is by no means short of experience on grass.
Verdict: Henman to stay ahead
Fernando Vicente v Lleyton Hewitt
PLAYED: Hewitt leads 2-0
There is no question that Lleyton Hewitt, at eighth seed, is one of the players to be considered seriously in the Stella Artois field. He was Wimbledon champion in 2002 and a semi-finalist last year when Roger Federer beat him which demonstrates one successful part of his grass court play and the other is in the Stella Artois where he was champion for three years running from 2000. Hewitt has been looking for good results--he made the last 16 in Paris where he was beaten by Rafael Nadal--and should be in position to move on today against the Spaniard Fernando Vicente who has not experienced much success on grass.
Verdict: Hewitt to take command
Ivan Ljubicic v Razvan Sabau
PLAYED: Ljubicic leads 2-0
A semi-finalist in the French Open and another of Nadal's victims,the Croatian Ivan Ljubicic has made genuine progress this year to lift his world ranking to as high as fourth. That has earned him second seeded place in the Stella Artois field and to justify that ranking he has to go all the way to the final. He begins today against the Romanian Razvan Sabau who holds a special place in the history of British Davis Cup tennis because he came back from within sight of defeat to beat Jeremy Bates in a tie at Didsbury in 1994 and then beat Mark Petchey in the decisive fifth rubber. Ljubicic topped off last year by being in the Croatian team which won the Davis Cup but a look at his record suggests he needs to do something positive about his form on grass. That is why he is here.
Verdict: Ljubicic to start with a victory.