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6/11/09 2:08 AM | Ricky Dimon
Nicolas Kiefer will headline the Day 4 night session in front of German fans at the Gerry Weber Open. Philipp Petzschner and Andreas Beck are also looking for quarterfinal spots.
(Q) Olivier Rochus vs. Philipp Petzschner
Rochus and Petzschner will be squaring off for the first time in the second round of Halle, Germany's Gerry Weber Open on Thursday afternoon. Petzschner, 58th in the ATP rankings, has been dealing with a wrist injury and had won just three ATP-level matches this season prior to this week. In his Halle opener, however, the German treated his home fans to a shocking three-set upset of third-seeded Fernando Verdasco. Rochus has been toiling at the Challenger level due to a ranking well outside the Top 100, and the 5'6'' Belgian had won only two matches on the ATP Tour in 2009 before his arrival in Halle. But in the first round he double-bageled fellow qualifier Fernando Vicente. Overcoming Petzschner on grass will be a much different task. Look for the home-court advantage and Petzschner's big serve to lead him through in straight sets.
(7) Jurgen Melzer vs. Nicolas Kiefer
It will be the ninth career encounter between Melzer and Kiefer when the two veterans do battle in the Halle second round on Thursday night. Shockingly, Kiefer has won every single one of their eight previous meetings; five on hard courts, two on clay, and one on indoor carpet. Kiefer is a solid 34th in the world, six spots behind his opponent, but the 31-year-old German is just 6-7 at the ATP level so far this year. Melzer is also in mediocre form at the moment, although he posted two wins at the French Open before falling to Gael Monfils in four sets. The Austrian kicked off his Gerry Weber campaign with a three-set victory over Arnaud Clement, while Kiefer crushed Viktor Troicki 6-2, 6-1. Both of these players own impressive all-court games that can work well on grass, so the surface should not be much of a factor. Call it a toss-up, but don't be surprised if the night-session fans drive Kiefer to a hard-fought win.
(LL) Lukas Lacko vs. Andreas Beck
This all-unseeded clash marks the first career meeting between Lacko and Beck. Lacko got into the main draw as a lucky loser when French Open champion Roger Federer decided he needed a rest. As a result, Harel Levy faced Lacko instead of Federer, but it did Levy no good; Lacko prevailed 7-6(6), 6-2. It was the first ATP win of the season and fifth of his career for the 217th-ranked Slovak. Beck, meanwhile, cruised to a 6-3, 6-1 rout of Christophe Rochus. The German is up to a career-high 53rd in the world and he owns a solid 9-6 match record at the ATP level in 2009. Home-court advantage should not even be necessary for Beck in this one; Beck in straights is the pick.
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Lukas Lacko
Andreas Beck
Gerry Weber Open
maxi, Mar 9, 2010 10:18 PM
jessie, Mar 9, 2010 7:37 PM
FEDistheGOAT, Mar 9, 2010 6:18 PM
OllyK, Mar 9, 2010 6:02 PM
carrie, Mar 9, 2010 10:09 AM
zare, Mar 9, 2010 10:06 PM
maxi, Mar 9, 2010 9:24 PM
FEDistheGOAT, Mar 8, 2010 7:08 PM
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