AIG Japan Open Tennis Championships preview

AIG Japan Open Tennis Championships
Location: Tokyo, Japan
Dates: September 29-October 5, 2008
Draw Size: 48
Surface: Hard
Prize Money: $869,000; men’s singles champion: $135,000
2007 Singles Final: David Ferrer, ESP, def. Richard Gasquet, FRA, 6-1, 6-2
Official Web site: http://aigopen.jp/08

Top story lines:
1. Will Andy Roddick continue his remarkable hard court tennis by winning a singles title for the second straight week?
2. Can the recently crowned Thailand Open champion Jo-Wilfried Tsonga win his second career title?
3. Can No. 1 seed David Ferrer rebound after an early exit at last week’s China Open?

Justin’s notable first round match-ups:
1. Dudi Sela vs. Bjorn Phau (First meeting; Sela reached finals at last week’s China Open losing to AIG Japan Open No. 2 seed Andy Roddick in three sets; Sela’s ranking jumped from No. 92 to No. 66 after reaching the finals in Beijing; Phau defeated Sam Querrey and Fernando Gonzalez en route to a semifinal appearance at the China Open; Phau is currently ranked No. 117)
2. Kei Nishikori vs. Robert Kendrick (First meeting; Nishikori defeated James Blake in the championship match in Delray Beach; Nishikori reached 4th round at US Open; Nishikori is currently ranked No. 85; Kendrick has reached three finals in Challenger events; Kendrick is currently ranked No. 100)

Potential notable late round match:
No. 2 Andy Roddick vs. No. 7 Jo Wilfried-Tsonga, Quarterfinals
· Roddick leads 2-0, with both matches being played in Grand Slam events
· Roddick won most recently at the 2007 Australian Open in four sets in the first round
· Roddick and Tsonga both won titles last week
No. 1 David Ferrer vs. No. 5 Juan Martin Del Potro, Quarterfinals
· Ferrer leads 2-0, with a 1-0 edge on hard courts
· Ferrer won this past June in two sets at grass court tournament in s-Hertogenbosch
· After losing at Wimbledon, Del Potro won four straight singles titles
No. 3 Fernando Gonzalez vs. No. 6 Tommy Robredo, Quarterfinals
· Gonzalez leads 3-2, with a 2-0 edge on hard courts
· Gonzalez won most recently in three sets at 2007 China Open

Watch out for…
1. No. 8 Mikhail Youzhny (Winner in Chennai; quarterfinalist at Australian Open and events in Marseille and Gstaad; defeated Rafael Nadal, David Ferrer and Nikolay Davydenko earlier this year; currently ranked No. 21)
2. No. 13 Sam Querrey (Winner in Las Vegas; semifinalist in Delray Beach and Indianapolis; defeated Richard Gasquet, Carlos Moya and Guillermo Canas earlier this season; currently ranked No. 38)

Champion prediction:
Justin: No. 5 Juan Martin Del Potro