Open de Moselle preview

Open de Moselle
Location: Metz, France
Dates: September 29-October 5, 2008
Draw Size: 32
Surface: Indoor Hard
Prize Money: $370,000; men’s singles champion: $59,1002007
Singles Final: Tommy Robredo, ESP, def. Andy Murray (WC), GBR, 0-6, 6-2, 6-3
Official Web site: http://www.opendemoselle.com/

Top story lines:
1. Can Frenchman Gilles Simon win his 4th title of the year?
2. Does Mario Ancic have what it takes to go deep in France after being out for parts of the summer with a virus?
3. Can Radek Stepanek get back to winning ways after average results throughout the summer?

Justin’s notable first round match-ups:
1. No. 1 Ivo Karlovic vs. Marcos Baghdatis (Baghdatis leads 1-0; winning 6-4, 6-4, in Marseille, France on hard courts in February; Karlovic won grass title at Nottingham in June; Karlovic defeated Roger Federer at Masters Series Cincinnati in July; Karlovic currently ranked at a career best No. 14; Baghdatis has played sparingly this season due to injuries and is currently ranked No. 42)
2. No. 2 Gilles Simon vs. Nicolas Mahut (Simon leads 1-0, winning 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 on hard courts in Indianapolis in July; Simon won titles this year in Indianapolis, Casablanca and Bucharest; Simon reached a career best ranking of No. 13 in early August; Simon defeated Roger Federer at Masters Series Canada; Mahut reached the quarterfinals in Marseille, France)

Potential notable late round match:
No. 4 Paul-Henri Mathieu vs. No. 8 Mario Ancic, Quarterfinals
· Ancic leads 3-1, with all matches being played on hard courts in Masters Series events
· Ancic won most recently in three sets at the Masters Series Paris

Watch out for…
1. Feliciano Lopez (Finalist at Dubai and quarterfinalist at Wimbledon; defeated 2008 Open de Moselle participants Radek Stepanek, Jose Acasuso, Marcos Baghdatis and Janko Tipsarevic earlier this year; currently ranked No. 37)
2. Carlos Moya (Finalist in Bucharest and Costa de Sauipe; semifinalist in Chennai; semifinalist in Umag and at Masters Series events in Cincinnati and Hamburg; currently ranked No. 49)

Champion prediction:
Justin: No. 2 Gilles Simon