Brisbane
Roddick headlines the men's field at Brisbane, hoping to have a strong recovery from a knee injury sustained at the end of the 2009 season. Roddick's top challengers for the crown are the crafty Czech Radek Stepanek and the dogged baseliner Gael Monfils. The draw offers some intriguing first-round matchups, here's a closer look at a few.
-Gasquet v. Niemenen. Former Top 20 players squaring off in their first match of 2010, Gasquet and Niemenen will look to return to the Top 20 in the 2010 season and are equally matched. Gasquet leads the series 2-0.
-Fish v. Baghdatis. Two of the most unpredicatable players on the tour will square off, with Baghdatis having won their only previous match last year Down under at the open in the 3rd round in straight sets. Look for Fish to seek revenge.
-Blake v. Querrey. The battle between the Americans should be an interesting encounter as every match they have played previously has gone to three sets with Blake prevailing in 5 out of 6 of those encounters, with Querrey's only win coming in 2007 at the Indianapolis Quarters.
-Dent v. Monfils. The match I am looking forward to the most, a steep contrast in styles, look for Dent to constantly stand at the net while Monfils stands 10 feet behind the baseline. About as contrasting in styles as you can get with dent's powerful valleys going up against Monfils's deep groundstrokes. Dent, making a comeback after numerous shoulder and back surgeries, will look to make an impact in the 2010 rankings, while Monfils hopes to step up his game to crack the Top 10. Interestingly, they have never played one another before.
Prediction: Let me take a risk here and say that Andy's not going to be 100% ready for his first tournament back and see the sleeper in the draw, Baghdatis, come from under the radar to reach the final versus a very fresh Monfils. Monfils wins in 3 sets for the third title of his career, establishing himself as a threat at the Aussie Open.
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