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Monday, May 13, 2013

Internazionali BNL d'Italia Rome 2013: Gasquet Versus Dimitrov - Preview


Grigor Dimitrov and Richard Gasquet clash in the second round of Internazionali BNL d'Italia Rome, Italy on Tuesday, the 14th May. They have met three times in their career and Dimitrov is yet to open his account. Their only meeting on clay was at Roland Garros  last year which was won in four sets by Gasquet. Dimitrov has performed well against Rafael Nadal at Monte Carlo where he took a set in his three-set defeat and against Novak Djokovic at Madrid last week when he stunned the world number one in three sets. However, he failed to consolidate his upset victory and lost in the very next round to Stanislas Wawrinka.

Gasquet takes more risks and plays better in a three set format than in the five set format. He plays an aggressive game and thrives on success in the initial stages of the match. Players who tend to expose backhand weakness of the opponent have sometimes suffered against Gasquet who can play aggressive cross court from the backhand side, sometimes more potent than the one from the forehand side. He does not give up his aggression and goes in for shorter rallies. It is only when he has to play a defensive game that his innovations disappear and he looks an ordinary player making a lot of unforced errors.

Dimitrov has more variety in his game. His backhand slice down the line is top class. He tends to fare better against higher ranked opponents; and Gasquet is the ninth seed here. His fitness level in the third hour of a match has however remained suspect. He has suffered cramps on a few occasions, the latest being the match against Djokovic last week.  

Both the players have similar style of play. In the normal circumstances, the experience of Gasquet should prevail. However, if Dimitrov plays exceptionally well on the day, he can cause an upset.

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