ATP News : 2006


Federer Faces Fast-Rising Murray

Roger Federer, world's number one, won their only previous match. The Swiss magician, 25, is coming off his seventh title of the year Sunday in Toronto (defeating Richard Gasquet)

MASON - August 16, 2006 - Defending champion and top seed Roger Federer, No. 2 Rafael Nadal, No. 6 James Blake and No. 9 Andy Roddick play their second-round matches on Center Court Wednesday.

Federer takes on British No. 1 Andy Murray. Federer won their only previous match – in the final of Bangkok last October (see below). Federer beat Paradorn Srichaphan in the first round, while Murray defeated British countryman Tim Henman.

FEDERER v MURRAY – Federer Leads 1-0

The Swiss magician, 25, is coming off his seventh title of the year Sunday in Toronto (d. Gasquet). That also represented his 11th ATP Masters Series shield, tying him for second on the 16-year list with Pete Sampras. Federer is gunning for his 18th straight final, which would tie him with Ivan Lendl for the Open Era record.

Federer has a 55-match winning streak in North America since his last loss to Dominik Hrbaty in the first round right here on Aug. 3, 2004. That streak has brought the Swiss tennis genius nine titles, including this tournament last year (d. Roddick) and the U.S. Open in 2004-05. He has a career record of 8-4 here.

World No. 1 Federer has a 19-match winning streak. He is 85-2 on hard courts over 2005-06, going 50-1 last season and 35-1 thus far this year.

Murray, 19, is on a roll, winning 18 of his last 23 matches. He reached a career-best ranking of No. 21 this week. He made it to the semifinals of Toronto last week (l. to Gasquet) and the final of Washington two weeks ago (l. to Clement). This is just Murray’s second year on the ATP circuit, and he is playing here for the second time.

NADAL v LEE – Nadal Leads 1-0

Nadal of Spain faces South Korean qualifier Hyung-Taik Lee in a re-match of their second-round in Toronto last week, won by Nadal. The Spaniard beat Sam Querrey in the first round, while Lee defeated Arnaud Clement.

World No. 2 Nadal trails only Federer this year with five titles. Two of those came in ATP Masters Series events – at Monte Carlo in April and Rome in May (d. Federer both times). Nadal has handed Federer his only losses in 2006, holding a 4-1 edge over him.

Nadal hasn’t captured a crown since Roland Garros in May, but his record is a lofty 11-3 during that period, including a runner-up showing at Wimbledon (l. to Federer). Nadal lost in the third round last week at Toronto (to Berdych). He has a record of 19-3 in Masters Series events this year and has a career record here of 1-2.

Lee, 30, is the most successful player in Korean history. He is on pace for a career year, with a record of 15-9. His win Monday evened his career ATP record at 114-114. He made the quarterfinals at Delray Beach in February and ‘s-Hertogenbosch in June. Lee has a career mark of 3-3 here, and is trying to reach the third round for the first time.

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