Final chance to gain form
August 25th 2009 13:06
TOP-10 players Nikolay Davydenko and Fernando Verdasco will use this week’s New Haven tournament to gain vital extra match practice – and confidence – ahead of the US Open.
They are the top two seeds in the final lead-in event to Flushing Meadows.
Verdasco lost in the first round to fellow Spaniard Guillermo Garcia-Lopez in Cincinnati last week and needs a strong performance here to inspire hopes of a deep run at the US Open.
Russian Davydenko has endured an interesting period since Wimbledon, where Czech Tomas Berdych eliminated him in the round of 32.
He returned to his favoured claycourts and claimed back-to-back titles over quality fields in Hamburg and Umag.
But the hardcourt season has not been so kind to Davydenko.
Scot Andy Murray made a mockery of him in a 6-2 6-4 quarter-final loss in Montreal and Frenchman Gilles Simon knocked him out in three tight sets in the third round in Cincinnati.
Davydenko won’t face too many competitors of that ilk in New Haven, but he, too, needs a good result, particularly with rivals lining up to snatch his top-10 spot.
American Sam Querrey is the most in-form player in the draw and will be looking to further improve his career-high ranking of 23.
Other top competitors who will be hoping to correct recent form slumps include Tommy Robredo, Igor Andreev, Jurgen Melzer and Nicolas Almagro.
A much stronger field has converged for the women’s draw at New Haven.
Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova heads the event after gaining a wildcard at the last minute due to a string of early losses that have given her a less-than-ideal preparation for the US Open.
The two-time grand slam champion has lost to Australian Sam Stosur, the ninth seed here, and Belgian comeback queen Kim Clijsters in her past two tournaments.
Kuznetsova almost suffered another early defeat in her New Haven opener before outlasting China’s Zheng Jie in three sets.
But four highly rated rivals – Russians Alisa Kleybanova and Nadia Petrova, Italian Francesca Schiavone and Swiss Patty Schnyder – fell by the wayside in first-round action.
Kleybanova made it to the semi-finals in Toronto last week.
Other players fine-tuning their games this week are Frenchwomen Amelie Mauresmo and Marion Bartoli, Italian Flavia Pennetta, Pole Agnieszka Radwanska and Dane Caroline Wozniacki.
Wozniacki is one of just three competitors with at least 50 wins on the WTA Tour this year.
>>> Check in later in the week for tournament updates
They are the top two seeds in the final lead-in event to Flushing Meadows.
Verdasco lost in the first round to fellow Spaniard Guillermo Garcia-Lopez in Cincinnati last week and needs a strong performance here to inspire hopes of a deep run at the US Open.
Spaniard Fernando Verdasco is looking for a strong performance in New Haven ahead of next week's start of the US Open.
Russian Davydenko has endured an interesting period since Wimbledon, where Czech Tomas Berdych eliminated him in the round of 32.
He returned to his favoured claycourts and claimed back-to-back titles over quality fields in Hamburg and Umag.
But the hardcourt season has not been so kind to Davydenko.
Scot Andy Murray made a mockery of him in a 6-2 6-4 quarter-final loss in Montreal and Frenchman Gilles Simon knocked him out in three tight sets in the third round in Cincinnati.
Davydenko won’t face too many competitors of that ilk in New Haven, but he, too, needs a good result, particularly with rivals lining up to snatch his top-10 spot.
American Sam Querrey is the most in-form player in the draw and will be looking to further improve his career-high ranking of 23.
Other top competitors who will be hoping to correct recent form slumps include Tommy Robredo, Igor Andreev, Jurgen Melzer and Nicolas Almagro.
Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova needs to correct a form slump in New Haven this week if she is to have any chance of winning a third grand slam.
A much stronger field has converged for the women’s draw at New Haven.
Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova heads the event after gaining a wildcard at the last minute due to a string of early losses that have given her a less-than-ideal preparation for the US Open.
The two-time grand slam champion has lost to Australian Sam Stosur, the ninth seed here, and Belgian comeback queen Kim Clijsters in her past two tournaments.
Kuznetsova almost suffered another early defeat in her New Haven opener before outlasting China’s Zheng Jie in three sets.
But four highly rated rivals – Russians Alisa Kleybanova and Nadia Petrova, Italian Francesca Schiavone and Swiss Patty Schnyder – fell by the wayside in first-round action.
Kleybanova made it to the semi-finals in Toronto last week.
Other players fine-tuning their games this week are Frenchwomen Amelie Mauresmo and Marion Bartoli, Italian Flavia Pennetta, Pole Agnieszka Radwanska and Dane Caroline Wozniacki.
Wozniacki is one of just three competitors with at least 50 wins on the WTA Tour this year.
>>> Check in later in the week for tournament updates
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