Roddick, Safin Set for Blockbuster
Andy Roddick and Marat Safin could be in line for a third round blockbuster at
the Pacific Life Open in Indian Wells, as the draw for the men’s singles
championship threw out some mouthwatering clashes.
With all Top 32 seeds receiving first round byes into the second round, Roddick
, the No. 3 seed and Safin, seeded No. 30, could set up a repeat of their
Australian Open quarterfinal if they both win their opening matches.
Safin, who received a wild card into the Pacific Life Open, could meet fellow
Russian Nikolay Davydenko in his opening match, while Roddick could take on
fellow American Jan-Michael Gambill.
Safin, who won the quarterfinal against Roddick in Melbourne, went on to reach
the final at the Australian Open before losing to current INDESIT ATP 2004 Race
leader Roger Federer, the top seed in Indian Wells. Safin also won his only
other previous meeting against Roddick in Los Angeles in 2001.
Roddick and Safin lie in the bottom half of the draw and could meet either
Rainer Schuettler, the No. 6 seed, or former finalist Tim Henman in the
semifinals.
Federer, whose best performance in Indian Wells came in 2002 when he reached
the third round, lost to Gustavo Kuerten in the second round and has another
tough road ahead of him this year if he is to claim a second ATP Masters Series
shield.
The 22-year-old Wimbledon and Australian Open champion, who is 16-1 this year
and has won 21 of his last 22 matches, will meet either Ivo Karlovic or
Andrei Pavel in the second round, with Fernando Gonzalez, Jiri Novak Mardy
Fish, Paradorn Srichaphan and two-time defending champion Lleyton Hewitt
all in his quarter of the draw.
Winning Streak
Hewitt, who has who his last 12 matches in Indian Wells and has not lost since
the 2001 semifinal against Andre Agassi, will meet either Thomas Johansson or a
qualifier in his opening match with a potential fourth round against No. 10
seed Paradorn Srichaphan from Thailand.
Hewitt, seeded No. 8 this year, is attempting to become the first person to win
the Pacific Life Open for three consecutive years.
Also in the top half of the draw is former champion Andre Agassi, the No. 5 see
d making his 15th appearance in Indian Wells. Agassi, who meets either David
Sanchez or Cyril Saulnier in the second round, won the title in 2001 and
reached finals in 1990 (l. to Edberg) and ’95 (l. to Sampras). The 33-year-old
from Las Vegas made his Indian Wells debut in 1988 and reached the semifinals
before losing to Boris Becker.
Agassi is seeded to meet the in-form Dominik Hrbaty – a three-time winner on
the ATP circuit this year – in the third round, with a possible clash against
1999 champion Mark Philippoussis in the fourth. Fourth seed Guillermo Coria
from Argentina is seeded to be Agassi’s quarterfinal opponent.
In the bottom half of the draw, second seed Juan Carlos Ferrero opens his
campaign against either Wayne Ferreira or Igor Andreev. The Spaniard could
meet Robby Ginepri in the third round with a potential clash with 2003
runner-up Gustavo Kuerten in the last 16.
Seventh seed Carlos Moya, who is an ATP-best 18-3 so far this year having
reached four finals from five tournaments, has fond memories of Indian Wells
having become World No. 1 after reaching the final in 1999. The Spaniard is
seeded to meet Ferrero in the semifinals.
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