Montreal Thursday Preview

THURSDAY PREVIEW – TOP 11 SEEDS SET UP ENTERTAINING THIRD-ROUND MATCH-UPS
The top 11 seeds are into the third round for the first time in Open Era (since 1968) tournament history, led by top-ranked and two-time winner Roger Federer, No. 2 and defending champion Rafael Nadal, No. 3 Andy Murray, No. 4/2007 champ Novak Djokovic and No. 5/2003 titleholder Andy Roddick. In the opening match on Central, Djokovic and unseeded Russian Mikhail Youzhny meet for the fifth time (tied 2-2). In the second match, Roddick brings an 8-2 lifetime mark against No. 10-seeded Spaniard Fernando Verdasco, and then Nadal takes on unseeded German Philipp Petzschner for the second time (Nadal leads 1-0). In the evening session, Federer takes a 2-1 lifetime mark against unseeded countryman Stanislas Wawrinka. On BN Court, No. 6 Juan Martin del Potro and unseeded Victor Hanescu open the day’s session followed by Murray and former No. 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero, and No. 8 Nikolay Davydenko against No. 11 Fernando Gonzalez. In the evening session, the top two Frenchmen on the ATP World Tour, No. 7 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and No. 9 Gilles Simon battle for the third time (tied 1-1). Here is a look at Thursday’s third-round match-ups:

No. 1 Roger Federer vs. Stanislas Wawrinka  Federer leads 2-1                                                      
No. 2 Rafael Nadal vs. Philipp Petzschner  Nadal leads 1-0          
No. 3 Andy Murray vs. Juan Carlos Ferrero  Murray leads 2-0                                                      
No. 4 Novak Djokovic vs. Mikhail Youzhny  Tied 2-2                                                                          
No. 5 Andy Roddick vs. No. 10 Fernando Verdasco Roddick leads 8-2                                 
No. 6 Juan Martin del Potro vs. Victor Hanescu  Del Potro leads 1-0                                                   
No. 7 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga vs. No. 9 Gilles Simon  Tied 1-1                                                        
No. 8 Nikolay Davydenko vs. No. 11 Fernando Gonzalez Davydenko leads 4-0

SWEET 16 – Of the 16 players remaining, 14 have been ranked in the Top 10 South African Airways ATP Rankings during their career. Eight of the players have advanced to a Grand Slam final during their career and five have captured Grand Slam titles, led by Federer (15), Nadal (6), Djokovic (1), Ferrero (1) and Roddick (1).

COUNTRY BREAKDOWN – There are 10 countries represented in the third round, led by Spain with three players followed by France (2), Russia (2), Switzerland (2) and one each: Argentina, Chile, Germany, Romania, Serbia and United States. 

DOUBLE DUTY – There are two players remaining in singles and doubles. German Philipp Petzschner is also in the doubles quarter-finals (w/Dlouhy) and Verdasco plays a second-round doubles match (w/Lopez) Thursday.

THURSDAY THIRD ROUND HEAD-TO-HEADS – In Order of Play by Court

Central

Mikhail Youzhny (RUS) vs (4) Novak Djokovic (SRB) Tied 2-2
06 Wimbledon (England) Grass R32 Novak Djokovic 4-6 6-2 6-3 6-3
07 Marseille (France) Hard R32 Mikhail Youzhny 6-4 4-6 7-6
07 Rotterdam (The Netherlands) Hard SF Mikhail Youzhny 3-6 7-6(7)7-5
08 Beijing Olympics (China) Hard R16 Novak Djokovic 7-6(3)6-3

YOUZHNY FASTFACTS

Tournament Highlights:
• The 27-year-old Russian is making his second straight third-round appearance after comeback wins over No. 14 seed Marin Cilic (46 76(4) 61) and American John Isner (67(8) 61 63) in the first two rounds
• Two years ago he reached the third round (d. Grosjean, Wawrinka, l. to No. 5 Davydenko)
• Four of his six losses have come to Top 20 opponents – l. to No. 8 Schuettler in 1st Rd. in ’03, No. 18 Gasquet in 1st Rd. in ’05, No. 14 Berdych in 2nd Rd. in ’06 and No. 5 Davydenko two years ago

2009 Highlights:
F: Munich (l Berdych); SF: Kitzbühel (l Garcia-Lopez); QF: Rotterdam (l Ancic); Marseille (l Llodra); London - Queen's Club (l Blake)

2009 in Review:
• The veteran Russian enters the third round with a 24-21 match record on the season, including 9-10 on hard courts
• His best results have come on clay, reaching the final in Munich in May (l. to Berdych) and later advancing to the semi-finals in Kitzbuehel (l. to eventual champ Garcia-Lopez)...Also a quarter-finalist in three other non-clay ATP World Tour tournaments – Rotterdam, Marseille and Queen’s
• Has a 4-3 record in ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournaments this season and this is his best result to date
• He is trying to register his second Top 10 win of the year after beating No. 7 Simon in the third round of Queen’s in June (20-48 lifetime vs. Top 10 opponents)

ATP World Tour Masters 1000 History:
• Has a 44-54 match record and his best showing is the quarter-finals four times – 2004 Hamburg, Paris, 2005 Cincinnati and 2007 Paris

DJOKOVIC FASTFACTS

Tournament Highlights:
• Two years ago won the title in his debut, defeating the Top 3 players in succession – No. 3 Roddick (QF), No. 2 Nadal (SF) and No. 1 Federer (F)…Last year lost in the quarter-finals to No. 9 Murray
• On Tuesday, opened with a 64 76(6) win over Canadian wild card Peter Polansky…8-1 lifetime here

2009 Highlights:
W: Dubai (d Ferrer); Belgrade (d Kubot); F: ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Miami (l Murray); ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Monte Carlo (l Nadal); ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Rome (l Nadal); Halle (l Haas); SF: Sydney (l Nieminen); Marseille (l Tsonga); ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Madrid (l Nadal); QF: Australian Open (l Roddick); ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Indian Wells (l Roddick); Wimbledon (l Haas)

2009 in Review:
• The World No. 4 has a 48-14 match record on the season (23-6 on hard) and leads the ATP World Tour in match wins
• Has a 2-4 mark in finals…In May, won the clay title in his hometown of Belgrade where he defeated Polish lucky loser Lukasz Kubot
• In April-May advanced to four straight finals, including three consecutive ATP World Tour Masters 1000 events – Miami (l. to Murray), Monte-Carlo (l. to Nadal in three sets), Rome (l. to Nadal) before winning in Belgrade in May
• Since opening the year with a first round loss to Ernests Gulbis in Brisbane, has reached the quarter-finals or better in 12 of his next 13 tournaments (except Roland Garros)
• In March at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, came in as defending champion and lost to Andy Roddick in the quarter-finals…Earlier in the month lost both of his singles matches on clay in a first round Davis Cup tie in Spain, falling to David Ferrer and Nadal in fourth rubber, which clinched the tie
• Prior to Davis Cup, defeated No. 8 Gilles Simon (SF) and David Ferrer (on Feb. 28) in the Dubai final for his first ATP World Tour title of the season
• In first month of action advanced to the semi-finals in Sydney (l. to Nieminen) and was one match win away from becoming No. 2-ranked player…Followed with a quarter-final at the Australian Open where he retired vs. Roddick in the fourth set due to heat illness…Also reached the semi-finals in Marseille (l. to Tsonga) before winning first ATP World Tour title of the season following week in Dubai (d. Ferrer)

ATP World Tour Masters 1000 History:
• Has a 76-28 career match record and 4-5 in finals, winning two titles in each of the past two years…In Monte-Carlo he was appearing in his sixth different ATP World Tour Masters 1000 final (l. to Nadal)
• Defeated Tsonga and No. 2 Federer back-to-back to reach the final in Miami (l to Murray) on Apr. 5
• In 2007, reached his first final in Indian Wells (l. to Nadal) and followed with his first title at the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami (d. Canas)…Later that year, won the title in Montreal, defeating the Top 3 players in succession – No. 3 Roddick (QF), No. 2 Nadal (SF) and No. 1 Federer (F)
• Last year, won titles in Indian Wells (d. Fish) and Rome (d. Wawrinka) while reaching the final in Cincinnati (l. to Murray)

Miscellaneous:
• In 2008, the young Serb finished No. 3 for a second straight season...The last player to do that was Pete Sampras in 1999-2000…First ranked No. 3 on July 9, 2007 after semi-final at Wimbledon
• Captured four titles in six finals, winning Tennis Masters Cup Shanghai as well as his first Grand Slam crown at the Aust. Open (d. Federer in SF, Tsonga in F)...Only dropped one set, that coming in the final
• In March, reached semi-finals in Dubai (l. to Roddick) and followed with title in Indian Wells (d. Nadal in SF, Fish in F)…After a 17-4 start in first three months, played well on clay (16-3) with SF at Monte Carlo (ret. to Federer), won title at Rome (d. Wawrinka) and reached semi-finals at Hamburg and Roland Garros (l. to Nadal both times)...Had chance to move to No. 2 in last two events with a win over Nadal
• On grass, advanced to final at Queen’s (l. to Nadal), before losing in 2nd Rd. at Wimbledon to Safin
• During summer hard court circuit, reached QF in Toronto, final at Cincinnati (l. to Murray both times), won bronze medal at Beijing Olympics (d. Blake) and advanced to SF at US Open (l. to Federer)
• Qualified for second straight Tennis Masters Cup in Shanghai, defeating Davydenko for the title

(5) Andy Roddick (USA) vs (10) Fernando Verdasco (ESP) Roddick Leads 8-2
03 ATP Masters Series Cincinnati (USA) Hard R64 Andy Roddick 6-3 6-2
05 ATP Masters Series Indian Wells (USA)Hard R64 Andy Roddick 6-3 3-6 7-6(2)
05 ATP Masters Series Miami (U.S.A.) Hard R64 Fernando Verdasco 7-6(9) 4-3 ret
05 ATP Masters Series Rome (Italy) Clay R16 Fernando Verdasco 6-7(1) 7-6(3) 6-4
06 ATP Masters Series Indian Wells  Hard R32 Andy Roddick 6-3 6-4
06 ATP Masters Series Miami (U.S.A.) Hard R32 Andy Roddick 6-3 6-4
06 US Open (U.S.A.) Hard R32 Andy Roddick 6-7(5)6-3 6-4  6-7(4) 6-2
07 USA v. ESP WG Qtrs (USA) Hard RR Andy Roddick 7-6(5) 6-1 6-4
07 Wimbledon (Great Britain) Grass R32 Andy Roddick 6-3  6-4 7-6(2)
07 ATP Masters Series Cincinnati (U.S.A.)Hard R32 Andy Roddick 7-6(3) 6-2

RODDICK FASTFACTS

Tournament Highlights:
• The 26-year-old American is making his eighth tournament appearance and looking to reach the quarter-finals or better for the sixth time…Has a 23-6 match record (most wins of any player in the field)
• He captured the title in 2003 (d. Federer in SF, Nalbandian in F) and reached the final in 2002 (l. to Canas) and 2004 (l. to Federer)...Also a quarter-finalist in 2001 (d. No. 1 Kuerten, l. to Pavel) and 2007 (l. to Djokovic)
• Last year came in ranked No. 6 and lost in the third round to Marin Cilic in three sets
• Opened the tournament Wednesday with a 61 76(3) win over Russian Igor Andreev

2009 Highlights:
W: Memphis (d Stepanek); F: Doha (l Murray); Wimbledon (l Federer); Washington (l Del Potro); SF: Australian Open (l Federer); San Jose (l Stepanek); ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Indian Wells (l Nadal); London - Queen's Club (l Blake); QF: ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Miami (l Federer); ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Madrid (l Federer)

2009 in Review:
• The top American enters with a 44-10 match record on the season, including a 31-6 mark on hard courts (most wins on ATP World Tour)…Has a 57-13 career mark against left-handers (3-1 in ’09)
• He is coming off back-to-back runner-up efforts at Wimbledon on July 5 when he lost to Federer in an epic 16-14 in the fifth set marathon, and last Sunday in Washington (l. to del Potro in third set tie-break)
• He has advanced to the quarter-finals or better in 10 of 11 tournaments this year and last Thursday he
clinched his 500th career match win over countryman Sam Querrey in Washington (502-158)
• Has a sparkling 30-8 tie-break record, most tie-break sets won on ATP World Tour this year…Last year went 35-12 in tie-breaks and in 2004 won a personal-best 37 breakers (37-14)
• His best result came in Memphis on Feb. 22 when he captured his 27th career title (d. Stepanek)
• In March reached the semis at the first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 in Indian Wells where he beat No. 3 Novak Djokovic in the quarter-finals before losing to World No. 1 Nadal 64 76(4)
• Earlier in the month he led the U.S. to a 4-1 first round Davis Cup victory over Switzerland in Birmingham, Alabama with wins over Marco Chiudinelli and Stanislas Wawrinka...His 31 career singles wins is the second-most in U.S. Davis Cup history trailing only John McEnroe (41)
• He opened the year with a runner-up effort in Doha (d. Monfils in SF, l. to Murray) and followed with his fourth semi-final at the Aust. Open (d. No. 3 Djokovic, l. to Federer)...Moved from No. 9 to No. 6
• Continued success in February with semi-final in San Jose (l. to Stepanek) and title in Memphis (d. Hewitt in SF, Stepanek in F)...Improved his title streak to nine consecutive years (since 2001) with his 27th career title, tied for third-most (w/Hewitt) among active players (behind Federer 57, Nadal 36)
• Comes in this week as the leader in the Ricoh ATP MatchFacts in second serve points won (57%) and No. 2 in aces (662), service games won (91%) and No. 3 in first serve points won (79%) and first serve percentage (70%)
• Married Brooklyn Decker on April 17 in Austin, Texas

ATP World Tour Masters 1000 History:
• Has a career record of 128-53 since playing his first Masters 1000 tournament in Miami (falling second round to Agassi) in 2000…Owns a 4-3 record in finals, winning his last Masters 1000 title in Cincinnati in 2006 (d. Ferrero)…Also won there in 2003 (d. Fish)…His other titles have come in Montreal in 2003 (d. Nalbandian) and Miami in 2004 (d. Coria, ret.)

Miscellaneous:
• In 2008, he finished in the Top 10 for a seventh consecutive season at No. 8
• Captured three ATP World Tour titles in four finals while posting wins over Top 3 players for first time in a season
• Only lost twice in an opening-round match and reached QF or better in 13 of 19 tournaments
• In March, captured 25th career crown in Dubai, defeating No. 2 Nadal and No. 3 Djokovic in QF and SF before beating Lopez in final...Held serve all 55 games during the week
• Reached semi-finals in Miami where he broke an 11-match losing streak to No. 1 Federer in QF (l. to eventual champ Davydenko)
• Played in only clay tournament in Rome where he retired in SF vs. Wawrinka after three games due to a right shoulder injury...Withdrew from Roland Garros, ending a streak of 28 consecutive Grand Slams played
• After August, went 16-6, reaching final in Los Angeles (l. to del Potro), QF in Washington (l. to Troicki) and US Open (l. to Djokovic) before losing both Davis Cup SF matches in Madrid to No. 5 Ferrer and No. 1 Nadal…In Asian swing, won title in Beijing (d. Sela) and reached SF in Tokyo (l. to Berdych)
• Led Ricoh ATP MatchFacts in service games won (91%) and break points saved (69%); No. 2 in aces (886) and first serve points won (79%)…Became first player to rank in Top 5 in all six service categories
• Compiled records of 40-11 on hard and 4-3 on clay...Was 26-19 in tie-breaks, 10-2 against left-handers and 4-6 against Top 10 opponents Paris (l. to Nalbandian)
• Coached by Larry Stefanki (since Dec. 2008) and also travels with fitness trainer Doug Spreen

VERDASCO FASTFACTS

Tournament Highlights:
• The 25-year-old Madrid native is appearing in the third round for the third time in the past four years
• In the first two rounds, defeated doubles partner and close friend Feliciano Lopez 61 67(5) 61 and Argentine Leonardo Mayer 61 61 to improve his career mark to 7-4 in Canada
• He is ranked No. 11 coming into Canada for the second straight year...Last season lost in the second
round to Swede Robin Soderling in three sets...All four losses have come in three sets

2009 Highlights:
F: Brisbane (l Stepanek); SF: Australian Open (l Nadal); QF: ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Indian Wells (l Federer); ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Miami (l Murray); ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Monte Carlo (l Djokovic); Barcelona (l Gonzalez); ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Rome (l Nadal); ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Madrid (l Nadal); Båstad (l Monaco)

2009 in Review:
• The No. 2 Spaniard (behind No. 2 Nadal) comes into the third round with a 34-14 match record on the season (17-4 on hard) and looking to reach the quarter-finals (or better) for the 10th time
• Began the first five months of the season by advancing to the quarter-finals or better in his first eight tournaments before the streak ended with a fourth round result at Roland Garros (l. to Davydenko)…He compiled a 26-9 record through May but since June is 8-5
• Last month helped his native country to a 3-2 Davis Cup quarter-final home victory over Germany on clay…He defeated Andreas Beck in the first rubber in five sets before losing to Philipp Kohlschreiber 8-6 in the fifth set…Then followed with a quarter-final in Bastad where he retired with a right calf injury
• Has reached the quarter-finals in the first five ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournaments, losing each time to a Top 4 opponent…Has a 2-6 record vs. Top 10 opponents this season, 9-37 in his career
• In the first two ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournaments on hard courts, reached the quarter-finals in Indian Wells (l. to Federer) and Miami (l. to Murray)
• He opened the first month winning nine of 11 matches, reaching his first ATP World Tour hard-court final in Brisbane (l. to Stepanek) and following with a Grand Slam-best semi-final showing at the Australian Open
• Posted back-to-back wins over No. 4 Murray in five sets in 4th Rd. and No. 6 Tsonga in the quarter-finals before falling in an epic five-set marathon to countryman and World No. 1 Nadal...Played longest singles match in tournament history (5:14) and afterwards broke into Top 10 for first time at No. 9 (from No. 15) on Feb. 2…Slipped out of the Top 10 this week for the first time since Jan. 19
• Missed Dubai and first round Davis Cup tie (vs. Serbia) due to a left foot injury he sustained in Australia
• Before March, worked for a month on fitness and conditioning in Las Vegas with Gil Reyes, and some times hit with Andre Agassi…Has also worked out part-time with Darren Cahill

ATP World Tour Masters 1000 History:
• Has career record of 51-49, having reached the quarter-finals eight times, five this year: 2009 Madrid, ‘09 Indian Wells & Miami (first on hard courts) – 2005, ’09 Rome, 2006, ’08 Hamburg,2009 Monte-Carlo

Miscellaneous:
• In 2008, the left-hander finished in the Top 20 for the first time at No. 16 by winning a career-high 47 matches and his second ATP World Tour title
• Helped his country to Davis Cup title (d. Argentina 3-1), clinching the tie with a five-set win over Acasuso...Also won doubles match and finished 3-1 (w/Lopez) during the year
• After compiling a 9-10 mark in first four months, went 38-17 rest of season, highlighted by ATP title in Umag (d. Andreev) and runner-up in Nottingham (l. to Karlovic)....Also SF in Bsstad, New Haven and St. Petersburg and QF in three other tournaments
• His best Grand Slam showing was the 4th Rd. at Roland Garros (l. to Nadal) and Wimbledon (l. to Ancic 13-11 in fifth set)...Went 1-6 vs. Top 10 opponents with lone win over No. 5 Ferrer at Hamburg
• Compiled marks of 22-16 on hard, 17-8 on clay and 8-3 on grass...Led Ricoh ATP MatchFacts in first serve percentage (73%)...Earned a career-high $977,961

SPANIARDS IN TOP 50 SOUTH AFRICAN AIRWAYS 2009 ATP RANKINGS
No. 2 Rafael Nadal
No. 11 Fernando Verdasco
No. 16 Tommy Robredo
No. 19 David Ferrer
No. 29 Juan Carlos Ferrero
No. 35 Nicolas Almagro
No. 37 Feliciano Lopez
No. 47 Albert Montanes

Philipp Petzschner (GER) vs (2) Rafael Nadal (ESP) Nadal Leads 1-0
03 Stuttgart (Germany) Clay R64 Rafael Nadal 7-5 6-1

PETZSCHNER FASTFACTS

Tournament Highlights:
• The lone German remaining is making his tournament debut and this week he defeated American Sam Querrey 75 63 and No. 15 seed Tommy Robredo 76(3) 76(4)

2009 in Review:
• The improving German enters the third round with a 12-15 match record on the season (6-6 on hard) and he's looking to reach his first ATP World Tour quarter-final in 2009
• Compiled a 4-10 mark on the year going into Wimbledon but since has won eight of his next 13 matches…Was slowed early on with a stress fracture in left wrist and missed nearly two months from March through last week of April    
• Began the turnaround at Wimbledon where he reached a Grand Slam-best third round with wins over Rajeev Ram and countryman Mischa Zverev in five sets (l. to Hewitt)...Then reached the second round at Newport (l. to Levine) and Hamburg (l. to Davydenko) and third round last week in Washington (d. Gabashvili, No. 20 Fish, l. to Berdych in three sets)
• Has a 2-4 career mark against Top 10 opponents (1-3 in '09) with a win over No. 8 Verdasco in the first round of Halle in June...Last October upset No. 10 Wawrinka in the fist round of Vienna en route to his first ATP World Tour title

ATP World Tour Masters 1000 History:
• The German is playing in his second ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament of his career (2-1), the first since 2005 in Hamburg where he lost in the first round to Greg Rusedski in three sets

Miscellaneous:
•  In 2008, compiled an outstanding season by winning his ATP World Tour title as a qualifier (ranked No. 125) in Vienna...After posting his first Top 10 win over No. 10 Wawrinka in the first round, posted impressive wins over veterans Hernych, Moya, Lopez and Monfils...Afterwards, climbed from No. 125 to No. 72, his first Top 100 appearance
• Finished at year-end best No. 66 with a 10-9 match record and made close to $500,000 (470,036)
• Also performed well in doubles, reaching final in Vienna (w/Peya) and advancing to quarterfinals at Wimbledon (wPeya)…Finished No. 41 in doubles
 

GERMANS IN TOP 50 SOUTH AFRICAN AIRWAYS 2009 ATP RANKINGS
No. 20 Tommy Haas
No. 25 Philipp Kohlschreiber
No. 41 Andreas Beck
No. 45 Philipp Petzschner
No. 46 Mischa Zverev
No. 48 Benjamin Becker

NADAL FASTFACTS

Tournament Highlights:
• The Mallorca native and defending champion enters the third round with a 17-3 career mark and the only player in the tournament to win singles titles in Toronto (2008) and Montreal (2005)...Last year beat unseeded Nicolas Kiefer in the final and four years ago defeated No. 7 Andre Agassi in the title match
• Has a 10-1 record in Montreal with his only loss to Djokovic in the semi-finals two years ago and 7-2 in Toronto, losing to No. 10 Lleyton Hewitt in his debut in 2004 and to No. 14 Tomas Berdych in the third round in 2006
• Opened the tournament Wednesday with a 4-3 retired win over countryman David Ferrer, who stopped with a left knee injury…Reached the second round in doubles (w/part-time coach Francisco Roig)

2009 Highlights:
W: Australian Open (d Federer); ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Indian Wells (d Murray); ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Monte Carlo (d Djokovic); Barcelona (d Ferrer); ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Rome (d Djokovic); F: Rotterdam (l Murray); ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Madrid (l Federer); QF: Doha (l Monfils); ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Miami (l Del Potro)

2009 in Review:
• The 23-year-old Spanish superstar is playing in his first tournament since losing his first match at Roland Garros (31-1) on May 31 to Swede Robin Soderling in the fourth round…Then withdrew from Queen’s and Wimbledon due to tendinitis in both knees
• He leads the ATP World Tour with five titles in seven finals in 10 tournaments while compiling a 45-5 match record (23-3 on hard, 22-2 on clay)…He is the only player on the ATP World Tour this year to win at least 20 matches on clay and hard courts
• He came up short of becoming the first player to win all three clay court ATP World Tour Masters 1000 titles in the same season as he finished runner-up in Madrid (l. to Federer)…Then followed with fourth round at Roland Garros (l. to Soderling)…He is 15-5 lifetime in ATP World Tour Masters 1000 finals, trailing only Andre Agassi (17) and tied with Federer
• Has a 13-3 mark vs. Top 10 opponents this season and has beaten 14 of Top 15 players in this week’s rankings (hasn’t played No. 15 Cilic)
•  This is the first time in his career he’s won two hard-court titles in the first three months of the season
• In March, he captured his 13th ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title in Indian Wells (d. Murray) and followed with a quarter-final showing at the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami (l. to del Potro in third set TB)
• Has already surpassed $4 million in prize money and $25 million in his career
• Began March by leading his country to a 4-1 first round Davis Cup win over Serbia in a home clay tie...Posted straight-set wins over Janko Tipsarevic and No. 3 Djokovic, losing only serve once in six sets
• Began the season by reaching the quarter-finals in Doha (l. to Monfils) and winning the doubles title (w/M. Lopez) over last year’s No. 1 team of Nestor-Zimonjic
• Then captured his sixth Grand Slam title at the Australian Open, his first on hard courts, with a five-set victory over Federer...In semi-final win over countryman Fernando Verdasco, won a tournament record 5:14 battle in five sets…Has won three matches in his career over five hours (2005-06 Rome finals)
• He became first Spaniard to win Australian title and third player at age 22-under to win three of four Grand Slam titles, joining Jimmy Connors and Pete Sampras...Also first player to win Aussie Open title winning five-set SF and F matches since Mats Wilander in 1988
• On Feb. 15 reached his third career ATP World Tour indoor final (1-2) in Rotterdam and injured his right knee in three-set loss to Murray...Withdrew from Dubai before returning for Davis Cup tie
• He ranked No. 1 for 46 consecutive weeks since first taking over the top spot on Aug 18, 2008 (until July 5, 2009)

ATP World Tour Masters 1000 History:
• Has an outstanding 146-29 career match record and a 15-5 mark in finals, winning at least two titles in each of the past five years (2005-09)…Won a personal-best four in 2005 and three each in 2007-08-09
• He and Federer are the only players to reach eight different Masters 1000 finals…Prior to this year, the Spaniard has reached the final in every tournament except Cincinnati…Federer had reached every final except Paris (Bercy)
 
Miscellaneous:
• In 2008, the Mallorca native became the first left-hander to finish No. 1 since John McEnroe in 1984, in addition to becoming first Spaniard as year-end No. 1 in history of ATP Rankings (since 1973)
• Became first player since Bjorn Borg in 1980 to win Roland Garros and Wimbledon titles in same year
• Led the ATP World Tour with eight titles in 10 finals, 82 match wins, most matches (93) played and a 17-6 mark against Top 10 opponents ...Also helped his native country to Davis Cup title (vs. Argentina) by winning all three of his matches during year
• He advanced to the semi-finals or better in all four Grand Slam tournaments for first time in his career...
• In March, reached SF at Indian Wells (l. to Djokovic) and followed with runner-up in Miami (l. to Davydenko)...Began year with a 22-6 record in first six tournaments before going 60-5 rest of season
• During clay court circuit, won titles at Monte Carlo (d. Federer) and Barcelona (d. Ferrer) and for first time at Hamburg (d. Federer)...Lost his only clay match (24-1) in 2nd Rd. at Rome (l. to Ferrero)
• Captured his fourth straight Roland Garros crown (d. Federer) and became first player since Borg in 1978-81 to accomplish feat...Also first player since Borg in 1980 to win without dropping a set in Paris
• Then moved to grass and won titles at Queen’s (d. Karlovic, Roddick, Djokovic) and Wimbledon, defeating five-time champ Federer in a 4:48 marathon (9-7 in fifth set) in longest final (time) at All England Club...Became first Spaniard to capture Wimbledon title since Manuel Santana in 1966
• Three weeks later in Toronto, earned his first hard court title of season (d. Murray in SF, Kiefer in F)...Following week in Cincinnati, reached SF (l. to Djokovic), ending his career-best 32-match winning streak...His result guaranteed No. 1 ranking on Aug. 18, which he obtained after earning gold medal at Beijing Olympics (d. Gonzalez)
• Spent a record 160 straight weeks at No. 2 from July 25, 2005 to Aug. 17, 2008
• Then advanced to first SF at US Open (l. to Murray)...Later in month, defeated Querrey and Roddick in Davis Cup SF to lead Spain into final...Clinched year-end No. 1 at Madrid with SF effort (l. to Simon)

(1) Roger Federer (SUI) vs Stanislas Wawrinka (SUI) Federer Leads 2-1
05 Rotterdam (The Netherlands) Hard R16 Roger Federer 6-1 6-4
06 Dubai (U.A.E.) Hard R32 Roger Federer 7-6(3)6-3
09 ATP Masters 1000 Monte Carlo  Clay R16 Stanislas Wawrinka 6-4 7-5

FEDERER FASTFACTS

Tournament Highlights:
• Has a 21-5 career mark in Canada, winning titles in 2004 (d. No. 2 Roddick) and 2006 (d. Gasquet) in Toronto...Also reached the final two years ago (l. to Djokovic in third set tie-break)...Has a 12-3 mark in Toronto and 9-2 in Montreal
• Last year lost in the opening round to Frenchman Gilles Simon in three sets
• Opened the tournament Tuesday night with a 76(3) 64 win over Canadian wild card Frederic Niemeyer

2009 Highlights:
W: ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Madrid (d Nadal); Roland Garros (d Soderling); Wimbledon (d Roddick); F: Australian Open (l Nadal); SF: Doha (l Murray); ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Indian Wells (l Murray); ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Miami (l Djokovic); ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Rome (l Djokovic)

2009 in Review:
• The No. 1 player on the ATP World Tour comes into the third round with a 20-match winning streak, winning his past three tournaments at ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Madrid (d. Nadal), Roland Garros (d. Soderling) and Wimbledon (d. Roddick), setting the Grand Slam record with 15 titles…Has won at least one title for nine straight years (since 2001)…Looking to win first hard court title of the year
• The Basel native has compiled a 41-6 match record (16-2 on clay, 18-4 on hard, 7-0 on grass) in his first nine tournaments through July…The Swiss superstar completed a career Grand Slam at Roland Garros in his 11th attempt by defeating Swede Robin Soderling in straight sets in the final…Lost six sets en route to the title, the most of any Grand Slam title run and was pushed to five sets by Tommy Haas in the fourth and Juan Martin del Potro in the semi-finals                                                           
• Four weeks later he won a record-breaking 15th Grand Slam title at Wimbledon, where he collected his sixth crown at the All England Club...Only dropped one set (against Kohlschreiber) en route to a record seventh straight Wimbledon final, where he defeated Andy Roddick 16-14 in the fifth set, breaking the American for the first time in the final game of the match after he held 37 straight service games…Fired a personal-best 50 aces in the epic battle…By clinching his 60th tour-level title – the most among active players, he reclaimed No. 1 ranking after Nadal held for 46 weeks earlier
• He opened the first month with a SF in Doha (l. to Murray) and followed with runner-up at the Australian Open, falling to rival Nadal in five sets...It was his first loss in a Grand Slam hard-court final (8-1)...He then withdrew from Dubai and first round Davis Cup tie vs. the U.S. with a back injury…Returned from a six-week layoff due and advanced to the SF in Indian Wells, defeating No. 17 Fernando Gonzalez and No. 10 Fernando Verdasco before losing to No. 4 Andy Murray for the fourth straight time
• Followed with a 36 62 63 loss to No. 3 Djokovic in the QF at the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami
• He opened his clay-court campaign at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters, losing in the third round to countryman Stanislas Wawrinka…It was his first loss to a countryman since Marc Rosset in 2000…He reached the SF in Rome, losing to No. 3 Novak Djokovic in three sets…The World No. 2 broke nearly a seven-month title drought by earning his 15th career ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title in Madrid, capped off by a 64 64 victory over Nadal…Broke a five-match losing streak to the Spaniard with his 58th career title in his 80th final…Only lost his serve twice in 55 games
• Married long-time girlfriend Mirka Vavrinec on Apr. 11 in his hometown of Basel…On July 23 the couple became parents to twin daughters Charlene Riva and Myla Rose

ATP World Tour Masters 1000 History:
• Has a career record of 196-59 since playing his first Masters tournament in Miami (falling first round to Carlsen) in 1999…His 196 match wins is second-most and trails only Agassi (209)
• Last year was the first time since 2003 he didn’t win at least one Masters 1000 title… Has won 15 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 titles, including 11 since ‘05, second all-time behind Andre Agassi’s 17 (tid with Nadal)… Has a 15-9 record in ATP World Tour Masters 1000 finals
• Has won six different tournaments - Hamburg (four times), Indian Wells (three times), Cincinnati (twice), Miami (twice), Toronto (twice) and Madrid (twice) - and also a finalist in Monte-Carlo (three times) and Rome (twice)…He and Nadal are the only players to reach finals in eight different tournaments (except Paris)…Nadal (except Cincinnati)

Miscellaneous:
• In 2008, the Swiss native’s four year run at No. 1 came to an end but he extended his streak of winning at least one Grand Slam title to six straight years…Ranked No. 1 for a record 237 straight weeks
• Became only fourth player since 1973 to end year at No. 1 at least four consecutive years, joining Pete Sampras (6), Jimmy Connors (5) and John McEnroe (4)
• Captured four titles in eight finals, including his fifth straight US Open crown...Each of his runner-up showings came to rival Rafael Nadal, in Monte Carlo, Hamburg, Roland Garros (for third straight year) and Wimbledon                                                                                                                                
• Began year with a SF at Australian Open (l. to Djokovic) where he was coming off lingering effects of a mononucleosis bout dating back to latter part of 2007...Hit a career-high 39 aces in a 3rd Rd. win 10-8 in fifth set over Tipsarevic in Melbourne

WAWRINKA FASTFACTS

Tournament Highlights:
• The Swiss No. 2 has a 5-3 career mark in Canada, reaching the third round last year with wins over Simone Bolelli and Marat Safin before losing to No. 9 Andy Murray in three sets...Also reached the second round two years ago (l. to Youhzny)
• In his first two wins this week, he defeated German Nicolas Kiefer 64 61 and lucky loser Andrey Golubev 75 64

2009 Highlights:
SF: ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Monte Carlo (l Djokovic)

2009 in Review:
• The 24-year-old Swiss native comes in with a 24-13 match record on the season, including 9-5 on hard courts…This is his first hard-court tournament since March in Miami where he lost to Nadal 76 76
• His best result of the year came in April at ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Monte-Carlo where he beat Federer for the first time (1-2) in the third round…Lost to Djokovic in the semi-finals
• Has an 1-7 mark vs. Top 10 opponents this season (10-27 in career) with his lone win over Federer
• In Grand Slam play, advanced to the third round at the Australian Open (l. to Berdych) and Roland Garros (l. to Davydenko) and fourth round at Wimbledon (l. to Murray in five sets) in the latest match finished in All England Club history (10:39 p.m.)

ATP World Tour Masters 1000 History:
• Has a 37-29 match record and his best showing was a runner-up in Rome last year when he lost to No. 3 Novak Djokovic in three sets…Also a semi-finalist in Monte-Carlo this year (l. to Djokovic)

Miscellaneous:
• In 2008, the Swiss No. 2 finished a year-end best No. 13 with a 38-21 match record (19-14 on hard), highlighted by runner-up finishes in Doha (l. to Murray) and ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Rome (l. to Djokovic in three sets)...Afterwards, broke into the Top 10 on May 12 and remained there for 22 straight weeks before slipping to No. 12 on Oct. 13
• Captured the gold medal in doubles at the Beijing Olympics (w/Federer), defeating Bryans in semi-finals and Aspelin-T. Johansson in the final
• Announced recently that girlfriend Ilham Vuilloud is expecting the couple's first child next February
 
BN Court

(6) Juan Martin del Potro (ARG) vs Victor Hanescu (ROU) Del Potro Leads 1-0
N 08 Kitzbuhel (Austria) Clay SF Juan Martin Del Potro 6-3 7-6(5)

Del Potro FastFacts:
2009 Highlights:
W: Auckland (d Querrey); Washington (d Roddick); SF: ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Miami (l Murray); ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Madrid (l Federer); Roland Garros (l Federer); QF: Australian Open (l Federer); San Jose (l Fish); Memphis (l Stepanek); ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Indian Wells (l Nadal); ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Rome (l Djokovic)
YTD W-L: 39-10
YTD Titles: 2
Career Titles: 6
Date of Birth: September 23, 1988
South African Airways 2009 ATP Ranking: 6

Hanescu FastFacts:
2009 Highlights:
F: Stuttgart (l Chardy); QF: Doha (l Roddick); Casablanca (l Ferrero); Kitzbühel (l Garcia-Lopez); Hamburg (l Davydenko)
YTD W-L: 23-21
Career Titles: 1
Date of Birth: July 21, 1981
South African Airways 2009 ATP Ranking: 32

(3) Andy Murray (GBR) vs Juan Carlos Ferrero (ESP) Murray Leads 2-0
09 London - Queen's Club (Great Britain)Grass SF Andy Murray 6-2 6-4
09 Wimbledon (Great Britain) Grass QF Andy Murray 7-5 6-3 6-2

Murray FastFacts:
2009 Highlights:
W: Doha (d Roddick); Rotterdam (d Nadal); ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Miami (d Djokovic); London - Queen's Club (d Blake); F: ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Indian Wells (l Nadal); SF: ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Monte Carlo (l Nadal); Wimbledon (l Roddick); QF: Dubai (W/O vs Gasquet); ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Madrid (l Del Potro); Roland Garros (l Gonzalez)
YTD W-L: 46-7
YTD Titles: 4
Career Titles: 12
Date of Birth: May 15, 1987
South African Airways 2009 ATP Ranking: 3

Ferrero FastFacts:
2009 Highlights:
W: Casablanca (d Serra); F: Umag (l Davydenko); SF: London - Queen's Club (l Murray); QF: Costa Do Sauipe (l Bellucci); Buenos Aires (l Nalbandian); Wimbledon (l Murray)
YTD W-L: 30-13
YTD Titles: 1
Career Titles: 12
Date of Birth: February 12, 1980
South African Airways 2009 ATP Ranking: 29

(11) Fernando Gonzalez (CHI) vs (8) Nikolay Davydenko (RUS) Davydenko Leads 4-0
02 Bastad (Sweden) Clay R16 Nikolay Davydenko 6-3 6-4
04 ATP Masters Series Rome (Italy) Clay R32 Nikolay Davydenko 2-6 6-2 6-4
05 ATP Masters Series Cincinnati (USA) Hard R16 Nikolay Davydenko 6-3 6-4
07 Tennis Masters Cup (China) Hard RR Nikolay Davydenko 6-4 6-3

Gonzalez FastFacts:
2009 Highlights:
W: Viña del Mar (d Acasuso); SF: Barcelona (l Ferrer); ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Rome (l Nadal); Roland Garros (l Soderling); Washington (l Del Potro)
YTD W-L: 27-8
YTD Titles: 1
Career Titles: 11
Date of Birth: July 29, 1980
South African Airways 2009 ATP Ranking: 10

Davydenko FastFacts:
2009 Highlights:
W: Hamburg (d Mathieu); Umag (d Ferrero); SF: Barcelona (l Nadal); Estoril (l Blake); QF: ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Monte Carlo (l Murray); Roland Garros (l Soderling); Stuttgart (l Fognini)
YTD W-L: 30-8
YTD Titles: 2
Career Titles: 16
Date of Birth: June 2, 1981
South African Airways 2009 ATP Ranking: 8

(9) Gilles Simon (FRA) vs (7) Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA) Tied 1-1
08 ATP Masters Series Rome (Italy) Clay R64 Gilles Simon 6-2 4-6 7-6(6)
09 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Miami Hard R16 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-7(4)6-3 6-2
Other Meetings:
03 France F6 (Lille) Hard R32 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-4 6-2

Simon FastFacts:
2009 Highlights:
SF: Marseille (l Llodra); Dubai (l Djokovic); QF: Australian Open (l Nadal); Estoril (l Montanes)
YTD W-L: 27-21
YTD Titles: 0
Career Titles: 5
Date of Birth: December 27, 1984
South African Airways 2009 ATP Ranking: 9

Tsonga FastFacts:
2009 Highlights:
W: Johannesburg (d Chardy); Marseille (d Llodra); QF: Brisbane (l Gasquet); Sydney (W/O vs Nieminen); Australian Open (l Verdasco); Rotterdam (l Nadal); ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Miami (l Djokovic)
YTD W-L: 34-12
YTD Titles: 2
Career Titles: 4
Date of Birth: April 17, 1985
South African Airways 2009 ATP Ranking: 7

FRENCHMEN IN TOP 50 SOUTH AFRICAN AIRWAYS 2009 ATP RANKINGS
No. 7 Jo-Wilfred Tsonga
No. 9 Gilles Simon
No. 13 Gael Monfils
No. 27 Paul-Henri Mathieu
No. 36 Jeremy Chardy
No. 38 Richard Gasquet
No. 44 Fabrice Santoro