Roddick Leads Tennis Masters Cup Contenders
© Getty Images Beijing, China – The countdown has begun to the seventh edition of the Tennis Masters Cup, which will conclude the ATP circuit in Shanghai in November. With Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal having already crossed the entryline for Shanghai, the contest has heated up with the remaining six places all for grabs.
Here is a closer look at the top contenders in the INDESIT ATP 2006 Race going into this week’s events in Beijing and Bucharest:
No. 3 Andy Roddick and No. 8 James Blake
For the many who believed that US tennis was in turmoil, the answer has been impressive performances at the US Open from Andy Roddick and James Blake, demonstrating that they are well capable of making the cut for Shanghai. Roddick, who is pursuing his fourth consecutive circuit finale berth, moved up from No. 10 to No. 3 in the INDESIT ATP 2006 Race following his runner-up effort in Flushing Meadows. Meanwhile, Blake jumped into the coveted eighth position after his appearance in the US Open quarterfinals, building a 30-point lead over Australian Open finalist Marcos Baghdatis.
No. 4 Nikolay Davydenko
The omnipresent Russian overtook Ivan Ljubicic in the Race standings after his successful run to the semifinals during the last fortnight. The 25-year-old has just played in his 26th tournament of the year, confirming himself as one of the tour’s most frequent flyers, and will be hoping to book his second trip to Shanghai with a strong finish in the remaining seven weeks of the regular ATP circuit.
No. 5 Ivan Ljubicic
The top Croat is also looking for his second consecutive invitation to Shanghai, and will attempt to get back on track as the top seed in the China Open. He dropped two spots in the Race standings following a surprising first-round exit to Feliciano Lopez, but could reclaim the No. 3 spot with the title win in Beijing.
No. 6 Tommy Robredo
The Barcelona native currently lies sixth on the Race leader board, and will be hoping to maintain his lead over David Nalbandian and Blake with less than 10 points separating the three. Robredo’s form this year has seen him claim the Masters Series Hamburg and the Bastad titles.
No. 7 David Nalbandian
The defending champion will be looking to reclaim the form that saw him come back from two sets down to defeat Roger Federer in last year’s epic final. The Argentine has struggled since Wimbledon, with a second round loss to Marat Safin at the US Open and his failure to advance beyond the same round throughout the US Open Series.
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