Paris Thursday Preview

The round of 16 line-up at the BNP Paribas Masters on Thursday features 12 of the top 13 seeds. The outstanding remaining field includes 14 winners on the ATP World Tour this season. There are five players left battling for the three remaining spots for the year-ending Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London.
South African Airways 2010 Year-to-Date Rankings - There are three positions remaining for the season-ending Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London (top five have qualified in bold) and the points standings are based on 2010 results. All five contenders in the table below are in action on Thursday:
1 Rafael Nadal 11,450
2 Roger Federer 7,375 (vs. Stepanek) - add 90 points with 3rd Rd. win
3 Novak Djokovic 5,635 (vs. Llodra) - add 90 points with 3rd Rd. win
4 Andy Murray 5,270 (vs. Cilic) - add 90 points with 3rd Rd. win
5 Robin Soderling 4,470 (vs. Wawrinka) - add 90 points with 3rd Rd. win
Barclays ATP World Tour Finals - Contenders

  
6) Berdych   
W    4665    
F     4265    
SF  4025    
QF  3845    
R16 3755

7) Ferrer   
W    4645    
F     4245    
SF  4005    
QF  3825    
R16 3735

8) Roddick   
W    4485    
F     4085    
SF  3845    
QF  3665    
R16 3575

9)Verdasco   
W    4150    
F     3750    
SF  3510    
QF  3330    
3240

11) Melzer   
W    3605    
F     3205    
SF  2965    
QF  2785    
R16 2695

• Verdasco must reach the final to have a chance to qualify
• Melzer must win the title and have Roddick lose in the 3rd Rd. to have a chance

First up on Court Central is No. 8 seed Andy Roddick against unseeded Ernests Gulbis. Roddick has played well at this event, reaching the semi-finals in 2003 and 2005, and he improved to 12-6 here with a quick morning win against Jarkko Nieminen on Wednesday. He is 2-0 lifetime against Gulbis, with both wins coming on hard courts. Gulbis has snapped out of a four-match losing streak with a pair of wins over opponents who retired with injuries.

Second up is No. 6 seed Fernando Verdasco against No. 12 Gael Monfils. The Spaniard is looking to reach the quarter-finals for the first time, while Monfils made it all the way to the final in front of his home crowd last year. Monfils won the pair's only previous meeting, on clay in Monte Carlo in 2008. But there is a lot on the line for Verdasco. He needs to win to keep his hopes of qualifying for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals alive.

Third up is No. 2 seed and defending champ Novak Djokovic against unseeded Michael Llodra, who is appearing in the round of 16 here for the first time. This could also be an early preview of next month's Davis Cup final in Belgrade. Djokovic won the previous meeting in the third round of Miami in March 2007.

Fourth up is a battle between former tournament winners No. 5 seed Tomas Berdych and No. 10 Nikolay Davydenko. Berdych won the title in 2005 and Davydenko captured the title the following year. The Russian owns a commanding 8-1 head-to-head advantage but Berdych won the last match at Wimbledon last year.

In the evening session, top seed and World No. 2 Roger Federer takes a 9-2 career lead against unseeded Radek Stepanek, who reached his first career ATP World Tour final here in 2004. Federer hasn't lost a set to Stepanek (11-0) since his last loss to the Czech on the clay courts of Rome in May 2008. Last week Federer beat Stepanek 63 62 in the quarter-finals of Basel en route to the title. Federer comes in with a season-high 10-match winning streak and he's looking to reach the quarter-finals in Bercy for the fourth time (2002-03, '08).

In the final match, No. 3 seed Andy Murray brings a 4-1 advantage against No. 13 seed Marin Cilic. Cilic's win came in the fourth round of last year's US Open but Murray avenged the loss with a four-set win in the semi-finals at the Australian Open in January. Both players have been to the quarters here before (Murray in 2007-08 and Cilic last year).

On Court 1, No. 7 seed David Ferrer takes a 3-1 head-to-head lead against No. 11 seed Jurgen Melzer. This is an important day for Melzer, who needs to win the title (and have Roddick lose his 3rd Rd. match) to keep his hopes alive for qualifying for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. Ferrer is No. 7 in the points standings. In the other match, No. 4 seed Robin Soderling squares off against Swiss No. 2 Stanislas Wawrinka, who has won two of their previous three meetings, including a 63 62 victory on the clay of Rome earlier this year.

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

Court Central

(8) Andy Roddick (USA) vs Ernests Gulbis (LAT) Roddick Leads 2-0
08 US Open (U.S.A.) Hard R64 Andy Roddick 3-6 7-5 6-2 7-5
09 San Jose (U.S.A.) Hard R16 Andy Roddick 6-3 7-6(3)
RODDICK FASTFACTS

Tournament Highlights:
• The top American has a 12-6 career mark in Bercy and on Wednesday he opened with a 61 64 win over Finnish qualifier Jarkko Nieminen
• He reached the semi-finals in 2003 (l. to Henman) and '05 (l. to Ljubicic)...Also a quarter-finalist in 2002 (l. to Srichaphan) and in his last visit two years ago (l. to Tsonga)
• Has a 7-7 mark in tie-breaks, losing five of last six since dropping two tie-breaks to Henman in '03 SF
• Made his debut in 2001 and lost to Sjeng Schalken in second round (after a bye), his only opening round loss here

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); Basel (l Federer); QF: Australian Open (l Cilic); Memphis (l Querrey); Tokyo (l Monfils)

2010 in Review:
• The Austin, Texas resident is trying to qualify for the season-ending Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London for the eighth straight year…Currently No. 8
• Has a 47-14 match record on the season, including 41-11 on hard courts (most wins in 2010)…Has a 2-2 record in ATP World Tour finals and 4-1 mark vs. Top 10 opponents…He leads the Ricoh ATP MatchFacts in service games won (92%) and is No. 2 in aces (748)
• He is coming off his seventh semi-final (or better appearance) this season in Basel last weekend (l. to eventual champ Federer)
• This is his second 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)…Prior to that he lost in the second round in four sets to Janko Tipsarevic at the US Open on Sept. 1
• He opened the season with his first title Down Under in Brisbane (d. Stepanek) and in April, 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), on hard courts
• His 29 titles is third-most among active players on the ATP World Tour, behind Federer (65) and 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. 8 this week
• After a 26-4 start, has a 21-10 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 (l. to Fish in both)

ATP World Tour Masters 1000 History:
• Has a career record of 147-59 since playing his first Masters 1000 tournament in Miami (falling second round to Agassi) in 2000…Owns a 5-4 mark in finals, winning his last ATP Masters 1000 title in Miami in April (d. Berdych)…Prior to that he won 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 2009, the top American finished in the Top 10 for an eighth consecutive season at No. 7…He and Federer have the longest streak among active players on the ATP World Tour
• Here with long-time trainer Doug Spreen and coach Larry Stefanki

GULBIS FASTFACTS

Tournament Highlights:
• The 22-year-old Latvian made his debut Sunday with a 75 2-2 retired victory (wrist injury) over Juan Ignacio Chela and followed with a 64 3-0 retired win (back) win over No. 9 seed Mikhail Youzhny

2010 Highlights:
W: Delray Beach (d Karlovic); SF: Memphis (l Querrey); ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Rome (l Nadal); QF: Doha (l Federer); Barcelona (l Verdasco); ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Madrid (l Federer); Bangkok (l Garcia-Lopez)

2010 in Review:
• The young Latvian comes in with a 31-19 match record on the season (18-14 on hard) and he's reached the quarter-finals or better seven times on the ATP World Tour
• His 31 match wins is a career-high, surpassing his previous total of 24 in 2008
• In February, he did not drop a set en route to his first ATP World Tour title in Delray Beach (d. Karlovic)
and the week before he reached the semis in Memphis (l. to Querrey)
• In May he advanced to the semis at ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Rome where he defeated No. 1 Federer in second round (on seventh match pt.) before losing to Nadal in semi-finals
• The previous week he reached the quarters in Barcelona where he lost to eventual champ Verdasco
• He began the campaign with QF in Doha (l. to Federer), then back-to-back 1st Rd. exits at Australian Open (l. to Monaco) and San Jose (l. to Mayer)…In February he reached the SF in Memphis (l. to eventual champ Querrey)…It was his second ATP World Tour SF of career, the first coming in his debut ATP World Tour event at St. Petersburg in October 2006 - Memphis was 65th event since then)

ATP World Tour Masters 1000 History:
• Has a career record of 22-19 and in May he reached his first semi-final in Rome (d. No. 1 Federer, l. to Nadal in three sets)…His previous best was the quarters in Cincinnati in August 2008 (d. No. 8 Blake, l. to No. 3 Djokovic)

Miscellaneous:
• In 2009, finished in Top 100 for third straight year at No. 90 with a 20-26 match record…His best results were quarter-finals in Tokyo and St. Petersburg, the only events he won back-to-back matches
• In 2008, finished a year-end best No. 53 with a 24-22 mark with his first Grand Slam quarter-final at Roland Garros and first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 quarter-final in Cincinnati, defeating No. 8 Blake in both
• Coached by former ATP pro Hernan Gumy (since mid-September '09) and credits the Argentine with
his improvement and focus this season

FIRST-TIME WINNERS - Gulbis is one of five first-time winners on the ATP World Tour this season:
John Isner / USA Auckland
Ernests Gulbis / LAT Delray Beach
Andrey Golubev / KAZ Hamburg
Viktor Troicki / SRB Moscow
Mikhail Kukushkin / KAZ St. Petersburg

(12) Gael Monfils (FRA) vs (6) Fernando Verdasco (ESP) Monfils Leads 1-0
08 ATP Masters Series Monte Carlo (Monaco) Clay R64 Gael Monfils 7-5 6-4
MONFILS FASTFACTS

Tournament Highlights:
• The Frenchman opened the tournament with a 76(4) 64 win over German qualifier Benjamin Becker on Tuesday to improve his career mark to 7-4 in Bercy
• Last year he reached his first final here, falling he lost to Novak Djokovic in a third set tie-break…Along the way he defeated No. 13 seed Radek Stepanek in the semi-finals, No. 12 seed Marin Cilic in the quarter-finals and countrymen Julien Benneteau and David Guez

2010 Highlights:
W: Montpellier (d Ljubicic); F: Stuttgart (l Montanes); Tokyo (l Nadal); SF: Brisbane (l Stepanek); Johannesburg (l Lopez); QF: Rotterdam (l Youzhny); Marseille (l Benneteau); ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Madrid (l Nadal); Nice (l Starace); US Open (l Djokovic); Valencia (l Soderling)

2010 in Review:
• The No. 2 Frenchman (behind No. 13 Tsonga) is attempting to reach his 12th ATP World Tour quarter-final (or better) appearance this season…Last week was a quarter-finalist in Valencia (l. to Soderling)
• The previous week he captured his first ATP World Tour title of the year and the third in his career (3-9) in Montpellier (d. Ljubicic)…He was runner-up in Stuttgart (retired vs. Montanes - w / right ankle injury) in July and last month he reached the final in Tokyo (l. to Nadal)
• He is one of four French winners on the ATP World Tour this year, joining Michael Llodra-2, Richard Gasquet-1 and Gilles Simon-1
• Has a 42-18 match record this year (32-12 on hard) and has won at least 40 matches for second straight year (42 in '09)…Was sidelined for two months between March and May w / left hand injury
• Began year at No. 13 and is now No. 14 (has hovered between No. 12 and No. 20 all season)
• Career-high is No. 9 (set March 2, 2009); has had 14 career weeks inside Top 10 (all within 15-week span between February 23 and June 7, 2009)

ATP World Tour Masters 1000 History:
• Has a 37-37 career match record and his best result was a runner-up in Paris last year (l. to Djokovic) and the semi-finals in Rome in '06 (d. No. 5 Roddick in QF, l. to No. 2 Nadal) and QFs in Madrid in '08 and this year

Miscellaneous:
• In 2009, finished in Top 15 for second straight year; season highlighted by second career ATP World Tour title in Metz (d. Kohlschreiber in final) and making debut in Top 10
• His best Grand Slam result was the semi-finals at Roland Garros in 2008 (l. to Federer) and following year he advanced to the quarter-finals in Paris (l. to Federer again)

VERDASCO FASTFACTS

Tournament Highlights:
• The 26-year-old Spaniard has a 4-6 career mark in Bercy, reaching the third round for three straight years...On Tuesday, opened with a 36 63 60 win over Frenchman Arnaud Clement
• Lost to No. 4 Andy Murray in 2008 and to No. 13 Marin Cilic last year

2010 Highlights:
W: San Jose (d Roddick); Barcelona (d Soderling); F: ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Monte Carlo (l Nadal); Nice (l Gasquet); SF: ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Rome (l Ferrer); QF: Acapulco (l Monaco); ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Miami (l Berdych); Båstad (l Robredo); Washington (l Baghdatis); US Open (l Nadal)

2010 in Review:
• The Madrid native and No. 3 Spaniard (behind Nadal and No. 7 Ferrer) enters with a 43-21 match record on the season, (21-13 on hard courts)…He's trying to reach his 11th quarter-final or better this season, the fourth in an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event
• He is 2-2 in ATP World Tour finals this year, winning titles in San Jose (d. Roddick) in February and Barcelona (d. Soderling) in April, while reaching finals at ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Monte Carlo (l. to Nadal) and Nice (l. to Gasquet)…He is one of eight Spaniards to win an ATP World Tour title in 2010
• He also reached the semi-finals in Rome (l. to Ferrer) and quarter-finals in five other tournaments, including the US Open (l. to Nadal), his best Grand Slam this year
• He reached a career-high No. 7 on April 20, 2009 and he comes in this week at No. 9…He broke the Top 10 on February 2, 2009 and since then has never fallen below No. 12
• He is battling for one of the three remaining spots for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London and must reach the final in Paris to have a chance to qualify

ATP World Tour Masters 1000 History:
• He has a 65-57 career record and the Spaniard reached his first final in Monte-Carlo (l. to Nadal) last month…Prior to then he was 0-9 in QF matches with five coming last year -- Indian Wells, Miami, Monte-Carlo, Rome and Madrid

Miscellaneous
• In 2009, he finished a year-end best No. 9, his first Top 10 season-ending ranking…He won his third ATP World Tour title in New Haven and was runner-up in Brisbane and Kuala Lumpur
• He qualified for his year-end championship at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London (0-3)
• He helped his native Spain to a second straight Davis Cup title by clinching tie with doubles win (w / Lopez) over Czech Republic

Michael Llodra (FRA) vs (2) Novak Djokovic (SRB) Djokovic Leads 1-0
07 ATP Masters Series Miami (U.S.A.) Hard R32 Novak Djokovic 6-4 6-1
LLODRA FASTFACTS

Tournament Highlights:
• The 30-year-old Frenchman has a 3-5 career mark and appearing in the third round for the first time after a 64 61 win over Italian Potito Starace and 63 64 victory over American John Isner
• His previous win came in 2006 when he defeated Fernando Verdasco (l. to Haas)

2010 Highlights:
W: Marseille (d Benneteau); Eastbourne (d Garcia-Lopez); QF: London / Queen's Club (l Fish)

2010 In Review:
• The left-handed Frenchman comes in with a 27-20 match record on the season (16-15 on hard)...His best results have been his fourth and fifth career ATP World Tour titles at Marseille in February (d. No. 8 Soderling en route to final, d. Benneteau for title) and Eastbourne (d. Garcia-Lopez) in June
• The No. 4 Frenchman ranked a career-high No. 28 on Sept. 20 and is No. 34 this week…He also reached the quarter-finals at the Queen's Club in London (l. to Fish) in June
• In July Davis Cup QF play vs. Spain, defeated No. 10 Verdasco in 2nd rubber…In September SF tie vs. Argentina, helped his country to the final (vs. Serbia) by defeating Juan Monaco in the opening singles rubber (and also won doubles match w / Clement)
• One of three players this year to win ATP World Tour singles and doubles at same event, at Marseille (Sam Querrey won both titles in Memphis and Juan Ignacio Chela won both in Bucharest)

ATP World Tour Masters 1000 History:
• Has a 18-40 career record and he is trying to reach his first quarter-final…His best results are the third round in '05 Indian Wells and '07 Indian Wells and this year in Toronto (l. to Federer)

Miscellaneous:
• At No. 34, he is fourth-highest of 11 Frenchmen in Top 100 (highest is No. 13 Tsonga)
• In 2009, reached two finals, Marseille (l. to Tsonga) and Lyon (l. to Ljubicic); also won one doubles title
• Has a 7-24 lifetime mark against Top 10 players (was 2-18 in first 20 and 5-6 since then)…His last win came over No. 7 Berdych in the first round at US Open

DJOKOVIC FASTFACTS

Tournament Highlights:
• The 23-year-old Serb opened his title defence with a 64 63 win over Juan Monaco on Wednesday
• He has a 9-4 career mark and last year he defeated Gael Monfils in a third set tie-break to capture his first title in Bercy…Along the way, he also beat No. 9 Robin Soderling 64 16 63 and No. 2 Rafael Nadal 62 63 (never facing break point)
• His previous best finish was the third round in 2005 (l. to Robredo) and in '08 (l. to Tsonga)

2010 Highlights:
W: Dubai (d Youzhny); Beijing (d Ferrer); F: US Open (l Nadal); Basel (l Federer); SF: Rotterdam (l Youzhny); ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Monte Carlo (l Verdasco); Wimbledon (l Berdych); ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Canada (l Federer); ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Shanghai (l Federer); QF: Australian Open (l Tsonga); ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Rome (l Verdasco); Belgrade (l Krajinovic); Roland Garros (l Melzer); ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Cincinnati (l Roddick)

2010 in Review:
• The World No. 3 and reigning champion is trying to reach his 15th quarter-final or better this season …He has a 57-15 record (39-9 on hard), his fourth straight year over 50 wins
• He is coming off his fourth ATP World Tour final of the season (2-2) on Sunday in Basel where he lost to Federer in three sets…His two titles (Dubai, Beijing) have been '09 repeat efforts… Prior to Basel, he reached the semi-finals at ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Shanghai (l. to Federer) and week before repeated title in Beijing (d. Ferrer)…Both of his titles have been repeat efforts on a Monday…In March he won in Dubai (d. Youzhny) in a rain-delayed final
• On Sept. 13 (also a Monday), he was runner-up at the US Open (l. to Nadal) after defeating Federer in a five-set semi-final (saved two match points)
• After reaching the US Open final, he helped lead his country to a 3-2 Davis Cup semi-final victory over the Czech Republic by winning in four sets over Berdych in the fourth rubber…Tipsarevic won the fifth and decisive rubber (d. Stepanek)…Serbia will host France in the final in December
• He opened the season with a quarter-final at the Australian Open (l. to Tsonga in five sets) and moved to a career-high No. 2 on Feb. 1…Has ranked No. 2 for a total of 26 weeks, 15 straight from Feb. 1-May 10 and then returned to No. 2 on July 5 after Wimbledon (for six weeks) before slipping to No. 3 on Aug. 16…He regained No. 2 after the US Open final on Sept. 13 and went to No. 3 on Oct. 18

ATP World Tour Masters 1000 History:
• Has a 105-38 career record (16-7 this year) and 5-6 in finals…He closed last year by winning title in Paris (d. Monfils)…It was the eighth different final in his career (except Shanghai)
• 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)
• In '08, won titles in Indian Wells (d. Fish), Rome (d. Wawrinka) and runner-up in Cincinnati (l. to Murray)
Miscellaneous:
• In 2009, the Serb finished No. 3 for a third straight year by reaching a career-high 10 ATP World Tour finals (5-5)...He also led the circuit in matches played (97) with a 78-19 record and hard court wins (53)

(5) Tomas Berdych (CZE) vs (10) Nikolay Davydenko (RUS) Davydenko Leads 8-1
05 Rotterdam (The Netherlands) Hard R16 Nikolay Davydenko 7-6(8) 6-0
05 Stuttgart (Germany) Clay QF Nikolay Davydenko 6-4 6-2
05 ATP Masters Series Montreal Hard R32 Nikolay Davydenko 5-7 6-1 6-3
06 Sydney (Australia) Hard R32 Nikolay Davydenko 7-6(4) 6-3
07 Australian Open (Australia) Hard R16 Nikolay Davydenko 5-7 6-4 6-1 7-6(5)
07 ATP Masters Series Cincinnati Hard R16 Nikolay Davydenko 6-3 6-2
08 RUS vs. CZE WG QF (Russia) Clay RR Nikolay Davydenko 6-3 2-6 6-7(5) 6-3 1-2 ret
08 ATP Masters Series Paris (France) Hard R16 Nikolay Davydenko 6-1 6-1
09 Wimbledon (Great Britain) Grass R32 Tomas Berdych 6-2 6-3 6-2
BERDYCH FASTFACTS

Tournament Highlights:
• The 25-year-old Czech Republic native is making his sixth straight appearance in Bercy (13-4 mark) and five years ago he made his debut ranked No. 50 and captured the title, defeating No. 10-ranked Ivan Ljubicic in a five-set final...Along the way he beat No. 7 Coria in 2nd Rd., No. 19 Ferrero in 3rd Rd., No. 11 Gaudio in QF and No. 14 Stepanek in SF….On Tuesday opened with a 63 61 over Florent Serra
• In 2006, he reached the quarter-finals (l. to Hrbaty) and then lost in the third round in 2007 (l. to No. 6 Ferrer) and '08 (l. to No. 6 Davydenko)...Last year ranked No. 20 and lost to Robredo in the 2nd Rd.

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)

2010 in Review:
• The Czech Republic native 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 been ranked No. 6 since Oct. 18
• Has a 44-23 match record on the season, including 24-18 on hard courts…He is No. 6 in the South African Airways 2010 ATP points standings 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)…Looking to finish in Top 10 for first time in career…His previous best year-end finish was No. 13 in 2006

ATP World Tour Masters 1000 History:
• Has a 72-51 career record and his best result was a title in Paris in 2005 (d. Ljubicic in five sets)...Also a runner-up this year in Miami (l. to Roddick) and three-time semi-finals

Miscellaneous:
• In 2009, finished in Top 20 for fourth consecutive year at No. 20 and helped his country to its first Davis Cup final since 1980 (l. to Spain 5-0)…Went 3-2 in singles matches
• Has a 5-6 career mark in ATP World Tour finals and his lone indoor title came here five years ago…Has won at least one title for three straight years and five of past six (except 2006)
• The last Czech Republic player to qualify for the season finale was Jiri Novak in 2002

DAVYDENKO FASTFACTS

Tournament Highlights:
• The No. 2 Russian enters with a 14-6 career mark and on Wednesday opened with a 63 60 win over top Brazilian Thomaz Bellucci
• He captured the title here in 2006 (d. Hrbaty), the semi-finals in 2008 (l. to Nalbandian) and the quarter-finals in 2005 (l. to Stepanek)

2010 Highlights:
W: Doha (d Nadal); SF: Rotterdam (l Soderling); QF: Australian Open (l Federer); Umag (l Chela); ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Cincinnati (l Federer); Beijing (l Isner); Montpellier (l Montanes); Valencia (l Simon)

2010 in Review:
• The 29-year-old Russian has a 29-18 match record (25-13 on hard) and he's trying to reach his ninth ATP World Tour quarter-final or better…His best result came in the first week of the year in Doha where he defeated Federer in the semi-finals and Nadal in the final (saving one match point) to capture his 20th career ATP World Tour title…Has won at least one title for eight straight years
• He then followed with a quarter-final at the Australian Open (d. No. 9 Verdasco, l. to No. 1 Federer in four sets) and in February reached the semi-finals in Rotterdam where he fractured his left wrist in a fall in his loss to Soderling on Feb. 13
• He played Dubai and retired in the second round vs. Berrer and in March after a bye, he beat Gulbis before withdrawing from his third round vs. Troicki…His fracture was diagnosed in Indian Wells
• He was sidelined for three months before returning in Halle in June (l. to Becker in 2nd Rd.)…Then lost in 2nd Rd. at Wimbledon (l. to Brands in four sets)
• In July in a Davis Cup quarter-final tie vs. Argentina, lost to Nalbandian in straight sets in opening rubber and then defeated Schwank in four sets in fourth rubber…Returned to clay and lost in the 2nd Rd. in Stuttgart, 3rd Rd. in Hamburg and QF in Umag

ATP World Tour Masters 1000 History:
• The Russian enters with an 85-57 career record and three titles - 2006 Paris (d. Hrbaty, 2008 Miami (d. Nadal) and 2009 Shanghai (d. Nadal)
• Also a semi-finalist five times and quarter-finalist eight other times

Miscellaneous:
• Last year he closed the season by capturing his biggest title, the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London where he beat del Potro in the final…Also beat No. 2 Nadal and No. 1 Federer en route
• Has finished in the Top 10 the past five years, including a personal year-best No. 3 in 2006 when he compiled a 69-29 match record
• Has a 34-52 career mark vs. Top 10 opponents (3-3 this year) and his last win came over No. 9 Verdasco in the 4th Rd. at the Australian Open in January
• Here with wife Irina (brother Eduard is not here)

(1) Roger Federer (SUI) vs Radek Stepanek (CZE) Federer Leads 9-2
02 Gstaad (Switzerland) Clay R16 Radek Stepanek 3-6 6-3 6-2
04 Gstaad (Switzerland) Clay QF Roger Federer 6-1 5-7 6-4
06 ATP Masters Series Rome (Italy) Clay R16 Roger Federer 6-1 6-4
07 ATP Masters Series Montreal Hard SF Roger Federer 7-6(6)6-2
07 CZE v. SUI WG PO (Czech Reb.) Carpet RR Roger Federer 6-3 6-2 6-7(4) 7-6(5)
08 ATP Masters Series Rome (Italy) Clay QF Radek Stepanek 7-6(4)7-6(7)
08 US Open (U.S.A.) Hard R32 Roger Federer 6-3 6-3 6-2
08 ATP Masters Series Madrid (Spain) Hard R32 Roger Federer 6-3 7-6(6)
08 Tennis Masters Cup (China) Hard RR Roger Federer 7-6(4) 6-4
09 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Rome Clay R16 Roger Federer 6-4 6-1
10 Basel (Switzerland) Hard QF Roger Federer 6-3 6-2
FEDERER FASTFACTS

Tournament Highlights:
• The Swiss superstar is trying to reach his fourth quarter-final in eighth appearance (8-6 record) with his previous best results three quarter-final finishes - in 2002 (l. to Hewitt), 2003 (l. to Henman) and 2008 (w / o to Blake)…On Wednesday he opened with a 64 64 win over Frenchman Richard Gasquet
• He also reached the 3rd Rd. in 2007 (l. to Nalbandian); dropped opening matches in first two appearances (after 1st Rd. bye), in 2000 (l. to Hrbaty), 2001 (l. to Novak) and last year (l. to Benneteau)

2010 Highlights:
W: Australian Open (d Murray); ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Cincinnati (d Fish); Stockholm (d F Mayer); Basel (d Djokovic); 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)

2010 in Review:
• The 29-year-old Swiss native enters on a season-high 10-match winning streak and looking to reach his 14th quarter-final or better this year…Last Sunday he picked up his fourth title in his birthplace of Basel where he defeated Djokovic 64 36 61…It was his eighth final of the year (4-4) and 93rd in his career (65-28)…His 65 titles is No. 4 on the Open Era titles list
• Prior to Basel, he won the title in Stockholm on Oct. 24 (d. F. Mayer), which was in the 18th country
• He enters with a 58-12 match record on the season (40-6 on hard) and since falling in the quarter-finals at Wimbledon in July, he has won 27 of 30 matches, reaching the final in five of six tournaments (except US Open, SF) during that span
• 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)…He also reached four straight ATP Masters 1000 finals in 2007
• During Stockholm played in his 900th career match and has a record of 736-173, 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)
• He has ranked No. 1 for 285 weeks, one week short from all-time leader Pete Sampras (286) atop the South African Airways ATP Rankings…He slipped to No. 2 on June 7 after Roland Garros where he lost in the quarter-finals to Soderling…Then went to No. 3 after Wimbledon on July 5 and was there for six weeks before returning to No. 2 on Aug. 16 (for four weeks)…Slipped to No. 3 on Sept. 13 and was there for five weeks before returning to No. 2 on Oct. 18 after Shanghai
• In the first two ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournaments, he reached the third round in Indian Wells (d. Hanescu, losing to Baghdatis in a third set tie-break after holding three match points) on Mar. 16 and followed in Miami, he lost in the fourth round to Berdych in a third set tie-break (after holding match point) on Mar. 30…Opened year with a semi-final showing in Doha (l. to eventual champ Davydenko)

ATP World Tour Masters 1000 History:
• He is the all-time leader in ATP World Tour Masters 1000 match wins (222) and this year is 20-6… He surpassed Andre Agassi, who posted 209 wins from 1990-2006…Has a career record of 222-67 and has won 17 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 titles (17-12), along with Agassi (17), trailing only Nadal (18)
• He has won six different tournament titles - Hamburg (four times), Indian Wells (three times), Cincinnati (four times), Miami (twice), Toronto (twice) and Madrid (twice) and runner-up in three others - Monte Carlo (three times), Rome (twice) and Shanghai…The only final he hasn't reached is Paris

Miscellaneous:
• The only player in the history of the ATP Rankings (since 1973) to finish No. 1 or 2 for seven straight years…Finished No. 2 in 2003 and No. 1 from 2004-07, '09, and No. 2 again in '08
• The all-time men's leader with 16 Grand Slam titles is one of 10 players in the Open Era with at least 700 career match wins…He is No. 9 with 736 match wins…Ilie Nastase is No. 8 with 755 wins
• Here with former ATP pro and Sampras mentor Paul Annacone…Also trains and travels part-time to tournaments with Swiss coach Severin Luthi

STEPANEK FASTFACTS

Tournament Highlights:
• The 31-year-old Czech Republic native has a 15-6 career mark in Bercy and this week he's defeated American lucky loser Michael Russell 62 60 and No. 14 seed Nicolas Almagro 76(3) 64
• Last year he reached the semi-finals for the third time, posting a 4-0 ret. (abdominal strain) victory over No. 5 Juan Martin del Potro in the quarter-finals and a 16 63 64 win over No. 4 Andy Murray in 3rd Rd. (l. to Monfils in three sets)
• He reached the final in 2004 (l. to Safin) and the semi-finals the following year (l. to countryman Berdych)

2010 Highlights:
F: Brisbane (l Roddick); SF: Tokyo (l Monfils); QF: New Haven (l Troicki); Moscow (l Cuevas); Basel (l Federer)

2010 in Review:
• The No. 2 player from the Czech Republic is coming off a quarter-final effort last week in Basel (l. to Federer)
• He has reached the quarter-finals or better five times this year and comes in with an 18-15 match record (17-15 on hard)…Has a 21-45 career mark vs. Top 10 opponents and he is facing a Top 10 for only the third time (0-2) this season…His best win came over No. 1 Federer in QF of 2008 Rome
• His best results were a runner-up in Brisbane in first week of the year (l. to No. 7 Roddick), semi-finals last month in Tokyo (l. to Monfils) and quarter-finals in New Haven (l. to Troicki) in August and Moscow two weeks ago (l. to Cuevas)
• 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 in Prague

ATP World Tour Masters 1000 History:
• Has a 70-58 career record, reaching two finals - Hamburg in 2006 (l. Robredo) and Paris in '04 (l. to Safin)…Also reached semi-finals in Montreal in 2007 and at Paris in '05 and '09

Miscellaneous:
• 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)
• In 2006, finished in Top 20 for the first time at No 19 after breaking into the Top 10 for the first time that year on July 10 at No .8 after reaching his first Grand Slam quarter-final at Wimbledon
• Has a 4-7 career mark in ATP World Tour finals
• Works with countryman and former World No. 2 Petr Korda when not on the road at the Bollettieri Academy in Bradenton, Fla.

(3) Andy Murray (GBR) vs (13) Marin Cilic (CRO) Murray Leads 4-1
07 GBR v. CRO WG PO (Great Britain) Grass RR Andy Murray 3-6 6-4 6-2 4-6 6-3
08 ATP Masters Series Madrid (Spain) Hard R16 Andy Murray 7-5 7-6(2)
09 Roland Garros (France) Clay R16 Andy Murray 7-5 7-6(4) 6-1
09 US Open (U.S.A.) Hard R16 Marin Cilic 7-5 6-2 6-2
10 Australian Open (Australia) Hard SF Andy Murray 3-6 6-4 6-4 6-2
MURRAY FASTFACTS

Tournament Highlights:
• The 23-year-old Scot is making his fifth straight appearance (6-4 mark)…His best results are back-to-back QFs in 2007 (l. to Gasquet) and 2008 (l. to Nalbandian); He also reached 3rd Rd. in debut in 2006 (l. to Hrbaty) and last year (l. to Stepanek)

2010 Highlights:
W: ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Toronto (d Federer); ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Shanghai (d Federer); F: Australian Open (l Federer); Los Angeles (l Querrey); SF: Wimbledon (l Nadal); QF: ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Indian Wells (l Soderling); ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Madrid (l Ferrer); ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Cincinnati (l Fish); Beijing (l Ljubicic)

2010 in Review:
• The World No. 4 is trying to reach his 10th quarter-final or better of the season and comes in with a 43-15 match record (31-9 on hard courts)
• Last Sunday he captured his first career ATP World Tour doubles title in Valencia with older brother Jamie on Sunday…In singles, he lost in the second round to Juan Monaco in three sets
• Prior to last week, he captured his sixth career ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title in Shanghai on Oct. 17 (d. Federer)…He did not drop a set in five matches…He owns a 2-2 mark in finals
• In August he captured his first ATP World Tour title of the year in Toronto where he beat former World No. 3 David Nalbandian (QF), No. 1 Nadal (SF) and No. 3 Federer (F) in straight sets…It was his fifth career ATP World Tour Masters 1000 crown and first title since Nov. 8, 2009 in Valencia (d. Youzhny)
• He became the fifth player to beat Nadal and Federer in the same tournament, joining Nikolay Davydenko (twice), Nalbandian (twice), Juan Martin del Potro and Djokovic
• He is one of five players to qualify for the season-ending Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London, joining Nadal, Federer, Djokovic and Soderling thus far in the eight-player field…This will be the third straight year he's in the finale
• He was a semi-finalist at Wimbledon for the second straight year (l. to Nadal) and runner-up on Aug. 1 in Los Angeles (l. to Querrey after holding a match point)
• He opened the year by reaching his second career Grand Slam final at the Australian Open…He lost only one set en route to the final, posting wins over John Isner (4th Rd.), No. 2 Rafael Nadal QF) and Marin Cilic (SF) before falling in straight sets to No. 1 Roger Federer

ATP World Tour Masters 1000 History:
• Has a 92-37 career match record (19-6 this season) and 6-1 mark in finals…Won his first two titles in Cincinnati (d. Djokovic) and in Madrid (d. Federer in SF, d. Simon in final) in 2008…Last year won titles in Miami (d. Djokovic) and Montreal (d. del Potro) while reaching the final in Indian Wells

Miscellaneous:
• In 2009, the Scot captured an ATP World Tour best six titles and reached a career-high No. 2 ranking in August before finishing No. 4 for the second straight year…Led circuit with .857 winning percentage as he compiled a 66-11 match record
• Has a 16-8 career record in ATP World Tour finals and his 16 titles is the most by a British man in the Open Era…Greg Rusedski won 15 career titles (13 as a British citizen) and Tim Henman 11 titles

CILIC FASTFACTS

Tournament Highlights
• The Zagreb native is trying to reach the quarter-finals for the second straight year (5-2 career mark) …On Wednesday he defeated Sergiy Stakhovsky 64 46 63 in his opening match
• Last year he knocked out No. 8-ranked Fernando Verdasco 36 63 64 reach the quarter-finals for the first time (l. to Monfils in three sets)
• In 2008, he posted wins over Andreas Seppi and Marcus Granollers before falling to Federer in 3rd Rd.

2010 Highlights:
W: Chennai (d Wawrinka); Zagreb (d Berrer); F: Munich (l Youzhny); SF: Australian Open (l Murray); Washington (l Nalbandian); QF: Dubai (l Melzer); Metz (l Kohlschreiber); Vienna (l Haider-Maurer)

2010 in Review:
• The top Croat on the ATP World Tour enters the third round with a 40-21 match record on the season, including a 30-14 mark on hard courts…He jumped off to an 18-2 start through first week of March but since mid-March is only 22-19…He is 2-4 vs. Top 10 opponents this year (10-19 in career)
• He is trying to reach his ninth quarter-final or better of the season and two weeks ago reached the quarters in Vienna (l. Haider-Maurer)
• Has a 2-1 record in ATP World Tour finals this season...He opened the year with a repeat title in Chennai (d. Wawrinka) and the following month he won title again on home soil in Zagreb (d. Berrer)
• He also advanced to his first Grand Slam semi-final at the Australian Open (d. No. 5 del Potro, d. No. 7 Roddick, l. to No. 4 Murray) and afterwards broke into the Top 10 on Feb. 1…He reached a career-high No. 9 on Feb. 22 and spent 11 consecutive weeks in Top 10, peaking at No. 9 for eight of them
• He will finish in the Top 20 for the second straight year (No. 14 in '09)

ATP World Tour Masters 1000 History:
• Has a 23-26 career match record and trying to reach his third quarter-final ('08 Toronto, '09 Paris)

Miscellaneous:
• In 2009, the Croat finished as his country's top player for the second straight year at a year-end best No. 14 with a 48-21 match record and ATP World Tour titles in Chennai and Zagreb…Also a runner-up in Beijing and Vienna
• In August 2008, he captured his first ATP World Tour title in New Haven (d. Fish) and won 37 matches, 23 more than previous season
• Here with older brother Vinko, who travels part of the season when coach Bob Brett is not on the road

Court 1

(11) Jurgen Melzer (AUT) vs (7) David Ferrer (ESP) Ferrer Leads 3-1
02 Bucharest (Romania) Clay R16 David Ferrer 6-4 7-6(6)
03 Roland Garros (France) Clay R128 David Ferrer 6-2 6-2 7-6(2)
09 Rotterdam (The Netherlands) Hard R32 David Ferrer 3-6 7-6(4) 7-5
10 Roland Garros (France) Clay R32 Jurgen Melzer 6-4 6-0 7-6(1)

Melzer FastFacts:
2010 Highlights:
W: Vienna (d Haider-Maurer); F: Hamburg (l Golubev); SF: Zagreb (l Cilic); Dubai (l Youzhny); Roland Garros (l Nadal); QF: Auckland (l Clement); Rotterdam (l Davydenko); ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Madrid (l Almagro); Stuttgart (l Montanes); Umag (l Seppi); Bangkok (l Nieminen); ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Shanghai (l Monaco)
YTD W-L: 50-24
YTD Titles: 1
Career Titles: 3
Date of Birth: May 22, 1981
South African Airways 2010 ATP Ranking: 12

Ferrer FastFacts:
2010 Highlights:
W: Acapulco (d Ferrero); Valencia (d Granollers); F: Buenos Aires (l Ferrero); ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Rome (l Nadal); Beijing (l Djokovic); SF: Johannesburg (l Robert); ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Monte Carlo (l Nadal); Barcelona (l Verdasco); ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Madrid (l Federer); Båstad (l Soderling); Kuala Lumpur (l Golubev)
YTD W-L: 60-20
YTD Titles: 2
Career Titles: 9
Date of Birth: April 2, 1982
South African Airways 2010 ATP Ranking: 7

Stanislas Wawrinka (SUI) vs (4) Robin Soderling (SWE) Wawrinka Leads 2-1
06 US Open (U.S.A.) Hard R64 Stanislas Wawrinka 6-7(4) 2-6 7-6(4) 6-0 6-1
08 ATP Masters Series Miami (U.S.A.) Hard R64 Robin Soderling 3-6 6-4 6-3
10 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Rome Clay R16 Stanislas Wawrinka 6-3 6-2

Wawrinka FastFacts:
2010 Highlights:
W: Casablanca (d Hanescu); F: Chennai (l Cilic); SF: Belgrade (l Isner); QF: ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Rome (l Nadal); US Open (l Youzhny); Stockholm (l Federer)
YTD W-L: 36-18
YTD Titles: 1
Career Titles: 2
Date of Birth: March 28, 1985
South African Airways 2010 ATP Ranking: 22

Soderling FastFacts:
2010 Highlights:
W: Rotterdam (d Youzhny); F: Barcelona (l Verdasco); Roland Garros (l Nadal); Båstad (l Almagro); SF: ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Indian Wells (l Roddick); ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Miami (l Berdych); Valencia (l Ferrer); QF: Marseille (l Llodra); Wimbledon (l Nadal); US Open (l Federer); Kuala Lumpur (l Golubev); Beijing (l Ferrer); ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Shanghai (l Federer); Stockholm (l Mayer)
YTD W-L: 52-20
YTD Titles: 1
Career Titles: 5
Date of Birth: August 14, 1984
South African Airways 2010 ATP Ranking: 5