Week 7 - ATP - Marseille

seagull · Hall of fame

Week 7 - ATP - Marseille

Sheddie · administrator

Do we think Andy will actually play this tourney after playing potentially 3 best of 5 setters at the weekend and a very long flight back from South America ?

if he does compete this week it's a bit of a shame he didn't go for San Jose, could have become the only player in the open era to win it 3 straight times

Maybe Marseille offered more appearance money ?

Michael · Pro player

and more ranking points? I don't know

Sheddie · administrator

yeah that's true, Marseille does offer more points.....winner gets 200 while Andy got 175 for winning San Jose

imoen · Admin: Moderator+Tennis Legend

Maybe he's just got bored of San Jose after winning it twice.

As for whether he actually plays, i expect he will regardless of what happens in the DC, Andy's never come across as one to pull out becuase of fatigue, rightly or wrongly.

Stircrazy · Tennis legend

imoen wrote:

Maybe he's just got bored of San Jose after winning it twice.

Final paragraph from Neil Harman's assessment of Saturday's win in Doha in today's Times:

It is understood that the 20-year-old will choose to spend more time in Europe in the early part of the year and not defend his title in San Jose, California, where he has triumphed in successive years. More likely, he will play in Marseilles and Rotterdam in February and could enter the Dubai Open before the two American Masters Series events in Indian Wells and Miami in March.

goldfish · Futures qualifying

Hope he does go to Rotterdam - nice tournament and means I can go. Missed last year but have been to 3 previous tournaments.

murrays main man · Lower Club Player

[1] Djokovic, Novak(SRB) vs QUALIFIER
[wc]GUEZ, David (FRA) vs SIMON, Gilles (FRA)
[wc]LLODRA, Michael (FRA) vs SEPPI, Andreas (ITA)
GICQUEL, Marc (FRA) vs [8] MATHIEU, Paul-Henri (FRA)

[4] MURRAY, Andy (GBR) vs QUALIFIER
WAWRINKA, Stanislas (SUI) vs GROSJEAN, Sebastien (FRA)
MAHUT, Nicolas (FRA) vs QUALIFIER
LEE, Hyung-Taik (KOR) vs [5] FERRERO, Juan Carlos (ESP)

[6] BAGHDATIS, Marcos (CYP) vs CLEMENT, Arnaud (FRA)
LOPEZ, Feliciano (ESP)vs KARLOVIC, Ivo (CRO)
BENNETEAU, Julien (FRA) vs PAVEL, Andrei (ROU)
CILIC, Marin CRO vs [3] YOUZHNY, Mikhail (RUS)

[7] TSONGA, Jo-Wilfried (FRA) vs [wc]ANCIC, Mario (CRO)
BERRER, Michael GER vs QUALIFIER
NIEMINEN, Jarkko (FIN) vs SODERLING, Robin (SWE)
BOLELLI, Simone (ITA) vs [2] GASQUET, Richard (FRA)

pretty tough draw by the looks of it, will do well to defend his points from last year

john · Top national player

Yeah, especially with his crippling injury. I'm sure heroic Andy will be able to drag himself through the pain barrier though

Kev=Celtic · Newbie

does anyone know if there is live coverage of the event, either on tv or internet.?

steven · Tennis legend

Eurosport are having a WTA week, unfortunately, but betfair and bet365 have online streaming apparently.

helki · Futures qualifying

Second match on centre court tomorrow v Huta Galung (NED). It could be worse. wink

I hope the knee holds up! weirdface

steven · Tennis legend

Huta-Galung has played in a lot of GB events in the last couple of years and you don't hear a name like that and then forget it!

He is currently ranked 195, highest rank is 182. He has never played in a grand slam. He beat Meffert (Boggo's first opponent in Belgrade this week) in the QFs of the Nottingham Challenger before going out to Qureshi in the SFs.

His last match against a Brit was a 3 & 3 win against Graeme Dyce, but he dropped sets against Mackin & Childs last year. In 2006, he lost to Chris Eaton in China in March (the last time he lost to a Brit), but beat Jamie Baker, Matt Smith, James Ward, Andrew Kennaugh and Boggo (5 & 5) later in the year.

As far as I can tell, this is only the 2nd ATP main draw Jesse has ever qualified for (he doesn't even seem to get WCs for the Dutch events), the first being the same tournament last year, where he qualified then lost 1 & 1 to Gilles Simon in R1.

All in all, it's not a match that should pose Andy any problems and Huta-Galung went to Sanchez-Casal from 2003, the year he knocked Jamie Baker out of Junior Wimbledon, so I imagine Andy knows him quite well!

Indeed, he has actually partnered both Murray brothers in junior doubles. He reached a semi-final in France with Jamie in April 2003, lost to Andy and his partner in his next tournament, then teamed up with Andy for 2003 Roland Garros juniors where they got stuffed 1 & 2 by Montcourt & a certain Monsieur Tsonga in the first round.

It's a small world!