Basel Wednesday Preview

Three Top 10 players are in action at the Swiss Indoors Basel on Wednesday, led by a certain Swiss sports legend.

First up on Centre Court is an all-unseeded battle between World No. 38 Radek Stepanek of the Czech Republic and World No. 45 Thiemo de Bakker of the Netherlands. They are playing for the first time. Stepanek did  well in his only previous appearance in Basel, reaching the semi-finals last year and losing in three sets to eventual champion Novak Djokovic.The 22-year-old de Bakker is playing here for the first time.
Second up is No. 4 seed Andy Roddick against fellow American Sam Querrey. Roddick, ranked No. 9, leads the head-to-head against Querrey, 4-2, although he has lost two of their last three meetings. This is their first match-up outside the U.S. and third this year (split first two). Neither player has been past the quarter-finals of an event since before the US Open. In his last appearance in Basel in 2003, Roddick was a semi-finalist while Querrey is making his debut.

In the next match, top seed and hometown hero Roger Federer takes a 2-0 lead against Janko Tipsarevic in the only second round match-up of the day. The World No. 2 Federer has been almost invincible in Basel in recent years - he is 19-1 at this event in the past four years, winning three straight titles from 2006 to 2008 and only falling in the 2009 final to Djokovic. This is their first meeting since Federer prevailed 10-8 in the fifth set at the Australian Open two years ago. The Serb also has three Top 10 wins this year.

Last on Centre Court is No. 3 seed Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic against lucky loser Tobias Kamke of Germany in a first-time meeting. World No. 6 Berdych has struggled since reaching his first Grand Slam final at Wimbledon, going 7-10 since then (he was 36-12 on the year coming out of Wimbledon). Kamke is fast on the rise, too - he ended 2009 at No. 254 in the world and is now No. 72, mainly on the strength of some strong Challenger results. Berdych is trying to secure one of the three remaining spots for the season-ending Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London later this month.

WEDNESDAY FIRST & SECOND ROUND HEAD-TO-HEADS – In Order of Play by Court

Centre Court

(WC) Radek Stepanek (CZE) vs Thiemo de Bakker (NED)  First Meeting

Stepanek FastFacts:
2010 Highlights:
F: Brisbane (l Roddick); SF: Tokyo (l Monfils); QF: New Haven (l Troicki); Moscow (l Cuevas)
YTD W-L: 14-14
YTD Titles: 0
Career Titles: 4
Date of Birth: November 27, 1978
South African Airways 2010 ATP Ranking: 38

• Stepanek, 31, the oldest player in the draw (will turn 32 on Nov. 27), is making his second straight appearance in Basel…Last year he reached the semi-finals in his debut (l. to Djokovic in three sets)
• He has reached the quarter-finals or better four times this year and comes in with a 14-14 match record (13-14 on hard)
• His best results were a runner-up in Brisbane in first week of the year (l. to Roddick), semi-finals last month in Tokyo (l. to Monfils) and quarter-finals in New Haven (l. to Troicki) in August
• In September he played in Davis Cup semi-finals vs. Serbia and lost fifth and decisive rubber to Tipsarevic
• He was sidelined for two and a half months due to mononucleosis and returned end of May at Prostejov Challenger (reached final but retired against Hajek w/stomach illness)
• Married former WTA Tour star Nicole Vaidisova on July 17, 2010 in Prague
• He reached a career-high No. 8 (has spent 12 career weeks in Top 10, all between July 10 and October 1, 2006 - peaked at No. 8 for two weeks)

de Bakker FastFacts:
2010 Highlights:
SF: Barcelona (l Soderling); New Haven (l Stakhovsky); QF: Chennai (l Tipsarevic)
YTD W-L: 28-22
YTD Titles: 0
Career Titles: 0
Date of Birth: September 19, 1988
South African Airways 2010 ATP Ranking: 45

• De Bakker, 22, the top Dutchman on the ATP World Tour is making his first appearance in Basel and he enters with a 28-22 match record on the season, including 18-15 on hard courts…He is ranked No. 45 and reached a personal-best No. 40 on July 19
• In April, he advanced to his first ATP World Tour semi-final in Barcelona where he defeated No. 10 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga before losing to No. 8 Robin Soderling in three sets…In August, reached semi-finals in New Haven (l. to eventual champ Stakhovsky)
• He turned in a Grand Slam-best third round at Wimbledon where he beat Santiago Giraldo 16-14 in fifth set and John Isner in second round before falling to Paul-Henri Mathieu in four sets
• He opened the year with his first career ATP World Tour quarter-final in Chennai (l. to Tipsarevic)

(4) Andy Roddick (USA) vs Sam Querrey (USA) Roddick Leads 4-2
07 San Jose (U.S.A.) Hard (I) R16 Andy Roddick 6-4 7-6(3)
09 Memphis (U.S.A.) Hard (I) QF Andy Roddick 6-4 3-6 6-3
09 Washington (USA) Hard R16 Andy Roddick 7-6(4) 6-4
09 ATP Masters 1000 Cincinnati (USA)  Hard R32 Sam Querrey 7-6(11) 7-6(3)
10 San Jose (U.S.A.) Hard (I) SF Andy Roddick 2-6 7-6(5) 7-6(4)
10 Memphis (U.S.A.) Hard (I) QF Sam Querrey 7-5 3-6 6-1

Roddick FastFacts:
2010 Highlights:
W: Brisbane (d Stepanek); ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Miami (d Berdych); F: San Jose (l Verdasco); ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Indian Wells (l Ljubicic); SF: Atlanta (l Fish); ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Cincinnati (l Fish); QF: Australian Open (l Cilic); Memphis (l Querrey); Tokyo (l Monfils)
YTD W-L: 43-13
YTD Titles: 2
Career Titles: 29
Date of Birth: August 30, 1982
South African Airways 2010 ATP Ranking: 9

• Roddick, 28, the top American on the ATP World Tour, is making his first visit to Basel since reaching the semi-finals in 2003 (l. to Nalbandian)…He also advanced to the quarters in 2001-02 (l. to Federer both times)…Has a 7-3 career mark
• This is his first tournament since Oct. 13 when he retired (vs. Garcia-Lopez) with a right groin injury in the third round at the Rolex Shanghai Masters…The previous week he reached the quarter-finals in  Tokyo (l. to Monfils in a third set tie-break. held one match point…It was his first tournament since a second round four-set loss to Janko Tipsarevic at the US Open on Sept. 1
• He enters with a 43-13 match record on the season, including 37-10 on hard courts (most wins in 2010), and has appeared in quarter-finals or better in nine of 15 tournaments this year
• Has a 2-2 record in ATP World Tour finals, opening the season with his first title Down Under in Brisbane (d. Stepanek) and in April, he captured his fifth career ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title in Miami (d. Berdych)…Also a runner-up in San Jose (l. to Verdasco) and ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Indian Wells (l. to Ljubicic), all on hard courts
• His 29 titles is third-most among active players on the ATP World Tour, behind Roger Federer (64) and Rafael Nadal (43)…Has won at least one title every year since 2001 and trying to finish in Top 10 for ninth consecutive season
• On Aug. 9 he fell out of the Top 10 at No. 11 for the first time since Aug. 14, 2006 when he was No. 12 and on Aug. 16 he was No. 13, his lowest since Oct. 14, 2002…Comes in No. 9 this week
• After a 26-4 start, has a 17-9 mark, reaching the third round at Roland Garros (l. to Gabashvili), Queen’s (l. to Sela) and fourth round at Wimbledon (l. to Lu 9-7 in fifth set)…During the summer, reached SFs in Atlanta and Cincinnati

Querrey FastFacts:
2010 Highlights:
W: Memphis (d Isner); Belgrade (d Isner); London / Queen's Club (d Fish); Los Angeles (d Murray); F: Houston (l Chela); SF: San Jose (l Roddick)
YTD W-L: 39-22
YTD Titles: 4
Career Titles: 6
Date of Birth: October 7, 1987
South African Airways 2010 ATP Ranking: 22

• Querrey, 23, is making his Basel debut and he enters with a 39-22 match record on the season, including 19-12 on hard courts… He is trying to win at least 40 matches for second straight year (41 in ’09)…He is No. 2 on the ATP World Tour with four titles this year (behind Nadal’s seven) and he and Nadal are the only player to win titles on three different surfaces…Three of his title wins have come over countrymen (Isner twice and Fish once)
• On Aug. 1, he repeated his title in Los Angeles, defeating No. 4 Andy Murray (saving one match point)…He is 4-1 in final matches with his lone loss in Houston (l. to Chela) on clay in April…Last year was 1-4 in finals
• Has not won back-to-back matches since reaching the 4th Rd. at the US Open in September (l. to Wawrinka in five sets)…Has an 1-3 mark since Flushing Meadows
• In February, beat Isner in three sets in the Memphis final and he also won the doubles title there (w/Isner)…In May, he beat Isner again in three sets in Belgrade (saving one match point)…The following month, he earned his first career grass court title at Queen’s over Fish
• He is No. 3 on the ATP World Tour in aces (685)
• Elected to two-year term on ATP Player Council in June 2010

(1) Roger Federer (SUI) vs Janko Tipsarevic (SRB) Federer Leads 2-0
06 SUI v. SCG WG PO (Switzerland) Hard RR Roger Federer 6-3 6-2 6-2
08 Australian Open (Australia) Hard R32 Roger Federer 6-7(5)  7-6(1)  5-7  6-1  10-8

Federer FastFacts:
2010 Highlights:
W: Australian Open (d Murray); ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Cincinnati (d Fish); Stockholm (d Mayer); F: ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Madrid (l Nadal); Halle (l Hewitt); ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Canada (l Murray); ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Shanghai (l Murray); SF: Doha (l Davydenko); Estoril (l Montanes); US Open (l Djokovic); QF: Roland Garros (l Soderling); Wimbledon (l Berdych)
YTD W-L: 53-12
YTD Titles: 3
Career Titles: 64
Date of Birth: August 8, 1981
South African Airways 2010 ATP Ranking: 2

• Federer, 29, the three-time champion in Basel, improved to 34-7 in his birthplace tournament after a 64 52 ret. win over Alexandr Dolgopolov…He also was runner-up in 2000-01 and last year (l. to Djokovic)
• He is coming off his third title of the season on Oct. 24 in Stockholm (d. F. Mayer), which was his 64th career title, tying Pete Sampras for No. 4 on the Open Era titles list…Has won titles in 18 countries
• He enters with a 53-12 match record on the season (35-6 on hard) and since falling in the quarter-finals at Wimbledon in July, has won 22 of 25 matches, reaching the final in four of five tournaments (except US Open, SF) during that span…Overall is 3-4 in finals this year and 64-28 in his career
• Prior to Stockholm was runner-up in Shanghai (l. to Murray in fourth straight ATP World Tour Masters 1000 final - runner-up to Nadal at Madrid, to Murray at Toronto, beat Fish in Cincinnati final)
• During Stockholm played in his 900th career match and has a record of 731-173, most among active players on ATP World Tour
• Has won at least one Grand Slam title for eight straight years (tying mark of Borg and Sampras)
• Was ranked No. 1 for 285 weeks, one week short from all-time leader Sampras (286); slipped to No. 2 after Roland Garros on June 7 then to No. 3 after Wimbledon on July 5 (lost in QFs at both events)

Tipsarevic FastFacts:
2010 Highlights:
F: s-Hertogenbosch (l Stakhovsky); SF: Chennai (l Cilic); Los Angeles (l Querrey); QF: Dubai (l Youzhny); Washington (l Cilic); St. Petersburg (l Kukushkin)
YTD W-L: 25-21
YTD Titles: 0
Career Titles: 0
Date of Birth: June 22, 1984
South African Airways 2010 ATP Ranking: 46

• Tipsarevic, 26, the No. 3 Serb (behind No. 3 Djokovic, No. 32 Troicki), is looking to reach the quarter-finals or better for the seventh time on the ATP World Tour this season…His best result was a runner-up in ‘s-Hertogenbosch (l. to Stakhovsky) in June… Also a semi-finalist in the first week of the year in Chennai (l. to Cilic) and in Los Angeles in late July (l. to Querrey), both eventual winners
• He made his Basel debut on Tuesday with a 64 62 win over Denis Istomin…He has a 25-21 match record on the year (21-16 on hard) and last week reached the quarter-finals in St. Petersburg (l. to eventual champ Kukushkin)
• He has helped his country advance to the Davis Cup final for the first time and they will host France in December…In the semi-finals in September, he defeated No. 7-ranked Berdych in the second rubber and beat Stepanek in fifth and decisive rubber
• He got married in Belgrade on July 4 (wife, Biljana)

(LL) Tobias Kamke (GER) vs (3) Tomas Berdych (CZE)   First Meeting

Kamke FastFacts:
2010 Highlights:
YTD W-L: 6-7
YTD Titles: 0
Career Titles: 0
Date of Birth: May 21, 1986
South African Airways 2010 ATP Ranking: 72

• Kamke, 24, has made one of the biggest jumps into the Top 100 this year, climbing from No. 254 at the end of 2009 to a career-best No. 72 this week
• He is making his tournament debut as a lucky loser, taking the place of Marcos Baghdatis…He lost in the last round of qualifying to Jan Hajek
• He is looking for his first Top 10 win…The only time he’s played a Top 10 opponent came at Wimbledon where he lost to No. 10 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the third round
• He has a 6-7 mark in ATP World Tour play and last week he lost to countryman Philipp Kohlschreiber in the second round in Vienna…He qualified at Wimbledon and advanced to the 3rd Rd. with wins over Garcia-Lopez and Seppi …Also qualified at Roland Garros (d. Robert, l. to Montanes)
• He has compiled a 35-16 match record in Challenger play while winning titles in Granby (d. Raonic) on Aug. 1 and Tiburon (Calif.) 10 days ago (d. Harrison)…Also runner-up in Baton Rouge (l. to Anderson) in April and Furth (l. to Haase) in June

Berdych FastFacts:
2010 Highlights:
F: ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Miami (l Roddick); Wimbledon (l Nadal); SF: Brisbane (l Roddick); Roland Garros (l Soderling); QF: San Jose (l Roddick); Memphis (l Gulbis); ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Indian Wells (l Nadal); Munich (l Petzschner); Washington (l Malisse); ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Toronto (l Federer); Kuala Lumpur (l Ferrer)
YTD W-L: 43-22
YTD Titles: 0
Career Titles: 5
Date of Birth: September 17, 1985
South African Airways 2010 ATP Ranking: 6

• Berdych, 25, the top player from the Czech Republic, has reached the quarter-finals or better 11 times this season and he advanced to his first Grand Slam final (l. to Nadal) at Wimbledon on July 4…He is only player in Top 10 yet to win an ATP World Tour title this year (0-2 in finals)
• Has a 43-22 match record on the season, including 23-17 on hard courts…He is No. 6 in the South African Airways 2010 ATP points standings (with 3,665 points) and trying to secure one of the three remaining spots for the season-ending Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London
• He also advanced to final at ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Miami (l. to Roddick) in April
• Also a semi-finalist in Brisbane (l. to Roddick) and Roland Garros (l. to Soderling) and quarter-finalist in seven other tournaments
• He spent 27 non-consecutive weeks at No. 9 or No. 10; two weeks in Oct. 2006 and then again all but two weeks from July 9, 2007-Oct. 8, ’07, and from Feb. 4, 2008-May 5, ’08 except one week)…Ranks a career-high No. 6 the past three weeks (since Oct. 18) and looking to finish in Top 10 for first time

Court 2

(Q) Daniel Brands (GER) vs (Q Jarkko Nieminen (FIN)   First Meeting

(LL) Paul-Henri Mathieu (FRA) vs Florian Mayer (GER)  Mathieu Leads 1-0
07 Roland Garros (France) Clay R128 Paul-Henri Mathieu 6-3 6-4 6-2

(8) John Isner (USA) vs (Q) Robin Haase (NED)   First Meeting