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10/26/09 8:54 PM | Ricky Dimon
Jeremy Chardy begins in St. Petersburg on Tuesday afternoon against a little-known Romanian qualifier. Robby Ginepri is also looking for a place in the second round at the expense of a qualifier.
(Q) Petru-Alexandru Luncanu vs. (4) Jeremy Chardy
This first-round clash at the St. Petersburg open looks like a complete mismatch on paper; Luncanu, a 322nd-ranked Romanian, has never won a match at the ATP level (he has played just one), while Chardy could be the favorite to win this tournament. Top-seeded Mikhail Youzhny has to be tired after his triumph in Moscow, No. 2 seed Victor Hanescu is in dreadful form, and No. 3 seed Viktor Troicki is already out. Chardy's bid for the title should begin without any trouble on Tuesday, but he needs to be careful because Luncanu will be confident having gone through qualifying over the weekend. Look for Chardy to set up a second-round showdown with Ernests Gulbis after two easy sets.
(Q) Oleksandr Dolgopolov Jr player profile" style="border-bottom: 1px dotted #000;">Oleksandr Dolgopolov Jr. vs. Robby Ginepri
Like Chardy, Ginepri will be facing another 20-year-old qualifier on Tuesday afternoon in St. Petersburg. This one, Dolgopolov Jr., is from the Ukraine. Dolgopolov, ranked 142nd in the world, has never won a match at the ATP level in four tries. Ginepri has not been in great form for several years now, but the 88th-ranked American could be finding his game. He won a title in Indianapolis early in the summer and reached the Moscow quarterfinals last week. Count on Ginepri beating Dolgopolov in straight sets.
Fabio Fognini vs. (SE) Ilya Marchenko
Fognini and Marchenko will be going head-to-head for the first time on Tuesday. Both Marchenko and Mikhail Kukushkin got special exemptions into St. Petersburg thanks to their surprising semifinal runs in Moscow last week. Ironically, Fognini lost to Kukushkin 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 in the Moscow first round, so he will be looking to right the ship against Marchenko, who upset Evgeny Korolev during his Kremlin Cup campaign. The Ukrainian, however, could still be feeling the effects of that long, successful week. As a result, Fognini in three sets is the pick.
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Petru-Alexandru Luncanu
Jeremy Chardy
St. Petersburg Open
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