World No.3 and reigning Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic from Serbia will begin his 2009 campaign on Pat Rafter Arena this afternoon.
In a day with a distinct Australian Open 2008 flavor, the man he beat in last year’s Australian Open final, Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, will also play his first singles match at the Queensland Tennis Centre.
The brilliant Serb meets the talented Ernests Gulbis from Latvia (ranked 53) in their first round match at the Brisbane International. Gulbis is fresh from his best year on tour in which he posted 24 wins and is seen as a real threat to the upper echelon of men’s tennis.
West Australian teenager Brydan Klein opens proceedings on Pat Rafter Arena this morning against top-class Czech Tomas Berdych who finished last season ranked 20.
Klein is only starting his second season out of juniors who made the Optus Australian Davis Cup squad last year and will be keen to test his improved game against a top-shelf talent like Berdych.
Australia’s Jarmila Gajdosova is second match on Pat Rafter Arena against number two seed Victoria Azarenka from Belarus.
The 19-year-old Azarenka cracked the top 20 for the first time last year and finished the season ranked 15. Gajdosova continues her impressive comeback from injury which enabled her to climb back into the top 100 and finish the year at 98.
Tsonga is the first match on court for the night session where he plays 32-year-old Argentine Agustin Calleri – a perennial top 75 player (he has finished in that bracket for the last nine seasons) who is currently ranked 60.
Queensland and Australian tennis fans will be hoping for the perfect finish to the night when Gold Coaster Samantha Stosur returns to Pat Rafter Arena for her second round encounter against Lucie Safarova from the Czech Republic.
In other matches of interest today:
- Spain’s Juan Carlos Ferrero meets Florent Serra from France
- Young guns Brydan Klein and Bernard Tomic team up to play doubles against Fernando Verdasco (Spain) and Mischa Zverev (Germany)
- Richard Gasquet (France) and Taylor Dent (United States) play their second round match
- Optus Australian Davis Cup doubles pair Carsten Ball and Chris Guccione meet American pair Mardy Fish and Sam Querrey.
Pat Rafter Arena schedule
Day session (starts at 10.30am):
Brydan Klein (AUS) v Tomas Berdych (CZE)
Jarmila Gajdosova (SVK) v Victoria Azarenka (BLR)
Novak Djokovic (SRB) v Ernests Gulbis (LAT)
Night session (starts at 7pm):
Agustin Calleri (ARG) v Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA)
Samantha Stosur (AUS) v Lucie Safarova (CZE)
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