Nasty draw, Dustov is currently ranked at a career high of 195 and made the Ho Chi Minh challenger final a couple of weeks ago.
He also lost in straights in Kyoto to Mackin's conqueror Stephane Bohli. Seems to be at his best on slow surfaces, made two challenger finals in 2006 on clay and outdoor hard.
In comparison, I don't think Mackin's ever made a challenger final ? Furthest he's been is semis I think (done that several times in Nottingham...last autumn and in 2005 on the grass).
With this tournament being on French clay, it will definately favour Dustov. Mackin's best results on clay came in autumn 2004 when he made a challenger semi...since then he's struggled on the dirt apart from a few good weeks in weak satellites.
I know Patrick Briaud pretty well. He won my first of two wild card tournies here before our Challenger. He played college tennis at Cal Berkeley and has jumped his doubles ranking from 900 to 370 in the world. He won a future in Costa Rica with D.Young, won a challenger(joplin) also with young then defeated Young in the finals of McAllen(futures) playing with Lesley Joseph. He's a lefty with great hands and a very hard flat return. One of our pros(Royce Deppe) said while watching him in our wild card that he expects to see Briaud in the top 200 in doubs by year end.....200 might be pushing it, but he is definitely on the rise.
Of all tyrannies a tyranny exercised for the good of its victim may be the most oppressive.... those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience
Maybe, or maybe it's just that :( and :) are universally recognised webspeak and they do look just like happy and unhappy faces. Also, if you use the quick reply, you don't have the emoticons to click on lol and i dont remember what any of the codes are.
__________________
Of all tyrannies a tyranny exercised for the good of its victim may be the most oppressive.... those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience