Australian Open 2013 – Men’s Seeds 21-32 Preview

#21. Sam Querrey

AGE: 25

RANKING: 22

Right Handed

Best Aus Open Result -> R32 (2007, 2008)

STATS

2012 Statistics                                                      

  Matches Tiebreaks Vs Top 10 Vs Top 20 Vs 21+
Win/Loss 47-26 20-15 1-7 5-11 42-15
Hard 28-17 13-6 1-5 5-7 23-10
Clay 12-5 1-4 0-2 0-3 12-2
Grass 7-4 6-5 0-0 0-1 7-3
Grand Slams 5-4 5-6 0-2 0-3 5-1
Vs Top 10 1-7 3-1
Vs R Handers 34-24 18-14 1-7 5-11 29-13
Vs L Handers 12-2 2-1 0-0 0-0 12-2
Best of 3 42-21 15-9 1-4 5-7 37-14
Best of 5 5-5 5-6 0-3 0-4 5-1
Deciding Sets 19-10

Hard Court Statistics (minus Murray/Federer/Djokovic/Nadal)

Last 3 Years 2012  
Win/Loss 63-41 27-15
Aus + US Open 6-5 3-2
If wins 1st set 51-11 20-5
If 1 set all 19-21 8-8
If loses 1st set 10-30 5-10

Career Grand Slam Record

All Surfaces Hard Court
Win/Loss 23-23 16-12
Won 1st Set 17-8 14-4
Lost 1st Set 5-15 2-8
Won 1st + 2nd Set 12-0 11-0
Lost 1st + 2nd Set 0-10 0-4
1 Set All 10-13 5-8
Up 2 sets to 1 11-1 6-1
Down 2 sets to 1 0-15 0-8

Notable Statistics

Positive

  • Of his 23 Grand Slam match wins, 16 of those have come on hard court.
  • 6-1 hardcourt Grand Slam record when up 2 sets to 1
  • 13-6 in hardcourt tiebreaks in 2012

Negative

  • 2-8 hardcourt Grand Slam record when losing the first set
  • 5-8 hardcourt Grand Slam record when 1 set all

SYNOPSIS

2012 was definitely a breakout year for Sam Querrey. After starting the year ranked 93rd in the world, he endured a few months with little success. After being forced back to the Challenger tour, Querrey started to put some consistent tennis together, reaching the Semi Final of Queens, winning Los Angeles and reaching the Semis of Winston-Salem. He saved his best individual match performance of the season right to the end, defeating Novak Djokovic in Paris after dropping the first set 6-0.

Looking to 2013, Querrey has the tools to match it with most players on the ATP tour.  An advantage for him in Melbourne is the hardcourt surface, clearly his favourite of the 3 surfaces. Possessing a big serve, Querrey fits into the category of having a difficult serve to break. Capable on both sides of the court, he can also consistently put pressure on his opponent’s serve.

There is every chance that Querrey will finish the year as the number 1 ranked American. With very limited points to defend up until May, look for Querrey to rise up the rankings in the first half of the year. A solid performance in Australia will help his cause.

Australian Open 2012

After accounting for wildcard Kenny De Schepper in straight sets in the first round, Querrey came up against Bernard Tomic and a home crowd. After winning the first 6-3, Tomic adjusted his mindset, conquering the American in 4 sets.

#22. Andreas Seppi

AGE: 28

RANKING: 23

Right Handed

Best Aus Open Result -> R64 (2007, 2008, 2011)

STATS

2012 Statistics                                                      

  Matches Tiebreaks Vs Top 10 Vs Top 20 Vs 21+
Win/Loss 44-30 16-12 1-11 3-13 41-17
Hard 22-20 6-5 0-7 0-8 22-12
Clay 18-6 8-4 1-3 3-4 15-2
Grass 4-4 2-3 0-1 0-1 4-3
Grand Slams 3-4 3-1 0-1 1-2 2-2
Vs Top 10 1-11 2-3
Vs R Handers 30-29 12-12 1-11 2-13 28-16
Vs L Handers 9-1 3-0 0-0 1-0 8-1
Best of 3 39-25 13-11 1-10 2-11 37-14
Best of 5 5-5 3-1 0-1 1-2 4-3
Deciding Sets 16-11

Hard Court Statistics (minus Murray/Federer/Djokovic/Nadal)

Last 3 Years 2012  
Win/Loss 51-47 22-18
Aus + US Open 1-6 0-2
If wins 1st set 35-11 16-4
If 1 set all 16-15 6-6
If loses 1st set 14-33 5-13

Career Grand Slam Record

All Surfaces Hard Court
Win/Loss 20-31 6-16
Won 1st Set 16-7 4-4
Lost 1st Set 4-24 2-12
Won 1st + 2nd Set 11-2 2-1
Lost 1st + 2nd Set 2-20 2-11
1 Set All 7-9 2-4
Up 2 sets to 1 7-5 2-2
Down 2 sets to 1 4-11 3-7

Notable Statistics

Positive

  • 16-4 on hardcourt when winning the first set in 2012

Negative

  • Winless at the Australian and US Open in 2012
  • 0-8 vs top 20 on hardcourt in 2012
  • 2-12 on hardcourt in Grand Slams when losing the first set
  • 5-13 on hardcourt in 2012 when losing the first set (excluding vs Top4)
  • Career 3-7 h2h record at the Australian Open. His three wins have been against players ranked 137, 160 and 192.

Other

  • Seppi had 21 wins on hardcourt in 2012 across ATP and Challenger circuits. 10 of those wins came against players ranked outside the top 100, 18 outside the top 50 and all outside the top 24.
  • Of his 19 losses on hardcourt, 12 came against players ranked below him. Of those 12 losses, 7 were in straight sets.

SYNOPSIS

Although he plays a high volume of hardcourt matches, his statistics for 2012 aren’t flash. A 22-20 record on hardcourt suggests that hardcourt isn’t his best surface. His claycourt season was impressive, best known in 2012 for taking the first two sets off Novak Djokovic in their French Open matchup, before going down in 5 sets.

What doesn’t fit with Seppi and his standard performances was his finals appearance at the ATP Metz tournament, where he lost to Tsonga in the final, and ATP Moscow, where he won. Looking at his draw further, he only beat one player ranked in the top 40 (Florian Mayer), so he certainly took advantage of some easy draws.

The stats don’t look flash for Seppi. As mentioned above, he has never beaten anyone ranked higher than 137 at the Australian Open, but to be fair 5 of those losses have been against seeded players. If he has a tough round 1 match, he looks like on to oppose, especially after his US Open capitulation (slaughtered by Robredo in straight sets).

Australian Open 2012

Seppi’s tournament lasted 4 sets vs Richard Gasquet, being broken 7 times on the way to a 3-6 6-3 3-6 1-6 loss.

#23. Fernando Verdasco

AGE: 29

RANKING: 24

Right Handed

Best Aus Open Result -> SF (2009)

STATS

2012 Statistics                                                      

  Matches Tiebreaks Vs Top 10 Vs Top 20 Vs 21+
Win/Loss 32-23 11-11 2-9 5-12 27-11
Hard 11-10 4-2 1-4 1-7 10-3
Clay 19-11 4-7 1-5 4-5 15-6
Grass 2-2 3-2 0-0 0-0 2-2
Grand Slams 6-4 7-2 0-1 0-1 6-3
Vs Top 10 2-9 0-4
Vs R Handers 27-20 8-8 1-8 4-11 23-9
Vs L Handers 5-2 2-3 1-1 1-1 4-1
Best of 3 26-19 4-9 2-8 5-11 21-8
Best of 5 6-4 7-2 0-1 0-1 6-3
Deciding Sets 7-8

Hard Court Statistics (minus Murray/Federer/Djokovic/Nadal)

Last 3 Years 2012  
Win/Loss 52-35 11-9
Aus + US Open 14-4 2-1
If wins 1st set 37-9 10-3
If 1 set all 16-11 2-2
If loses 1st set 13-25 1-5

Career Grand Slam Record

All Surfaces Hard Court
Win/Loss 73-38 39-19
Won 1st Set 52-12 27-5
Lost 1st Set 19-25 10-13
Won 1st + 2nd Set 43-3 23-1
Lost 1st + 2nd Set 4-21 3-12
1 Set All 24-13 11-5
Up 2 sets to 1 28-5 12-1
Down 2 sets to 1 7-14 5-6

Notable Statistics

Positive

  • 27-5 hardcourt Grand Slam record when he wins the first set.
  • 12-1 hardcourt Grand Slam record when up 2 sets to 1

Negative

  • 11-10 on hardcourt in 2012

Other

  • Verdasco only beat one top 50 player on hardcourt in 2012, and that was Juan Monaco (renowned claycourter).

SYNOPSIS

Fresh off his Hopman Cup win in Perth, Fernando Verdasco will be looking to put in a solid performance in Melbourne to boost his ranking. A former Semi Finallist, Verdasco has shown in the past that he has all the ability in the world, he just needs to apply himself.

Criticised by some commentators in the past for worrying more about his appearance than his tennis. The highlight of the year came beating Nadal on clay, but besides that it was a bit of a nothing year for Verdasco.

We know what we can do. It all depends on who he comes up against!

Australian Open 2012

Verdasco was given the tough task of facing Bernard Tomic on a scorching day on Rod Laver Arena. After winning the first two sets, Tomic got into his groove. With the crowd behind him, Tomic clawed his way to victory, winning 7-5 in the fifth set in over 4 hours.

#24. Mikhail Youzhny

AGE: 30

RANKING: 25

Right Handed

Best Aus Open Result -> QF (2008)

STATS

2012 Statistics                                                      

  Matches Tiebreaks Vs Top 10 Vs Top 20 Vs 21+
Win/Loss 33-21 10-10 2-9 4-11 29-10
Hard 20-12 8-7 1-5 2-6 18-6
Clay 6-6 2-2 0-2 0-3 6-3
Grass 7-3 0-1 1-2 2-2 5-1
Grand Slams 6-4 2-3 1-1 1-1 3-0
Vs Top 10 2-9 1-2
Vs R Handers 29-17 9-7 2-8 4-10 25-7
Vs L Handers 3-4 1-3 0-1 0-1 3-3
Best of 3 27-17 8-7 1-7 3-9 24-8
Best of 5 6-4 2-3 1-2 1-2 5-2
Deciding Sets 9-6 5-6

Hard Court Statistics (minus Murray/Federer/Djokovic/Nadal)

Last 3 Years 2012  
Win/Loss 63-33 20-10
Aus + US Open 9-4 0-2
If wins 1st set 47-6 19-2
If 1 set all 24-11 6-3
If loses 1st set 14-25 0-8

Career Grand Slam Record

All Surfaces Hard Court
Win/Loss 81-45 36-21
Won 1st Set 56-14 24-8
Lost 1st Set 20-31 11-13
Won 1st + 2nd Set 45-4 21-3
Lost 1st + 2nd Set 2-26 2-10
1 Set All 29-15 12-8
Up 2 sets to 1 33-8 14-5
Down 2 sets to 1 5-13 3-7

SYNOPSIS

Notable Statistics

Positive

  • 19-2 on hardcourt in 2012 when he won the first set.

Negative

  • Did not win on hardcourt in 2012 after losing the first set (Note: Did win in Doha last week after losing first set to Becker)

The hot-headed Russian will be looking to make up for a poor performance in 2012 at the Australian Open. A solid 20-12 on hardcourt, Youzhny’s career has plateaued somewhat of late. He hasn’t quite been the same player since making the French Open QF and US Open SF in 2010, but it doesn’t mean he isn’t a dangerous opponent.

Hitting flat powerful shots from both wings, Youzhny can be incredibly good on his day. That being said, if he is off, he is way off. With a short temper, he is always entertaining to watch, simply as you don’t know what it is you are in for.

Australian Open 2012

Safe to say that the 2012 Australian Open wasn’t a great one for Youzhny. He was beaten in 5 sets by lowly Kazakh qualifier Andrey Golubev in just under 5 hours.

#25. Jerzy Janowicz

AGE: 22

RANKING: 26

Right Handed

Best Aus Open Result -> First Australian Open

Janowicz is an up and coming Polish youngster, who made the final of the Junior French Open (2008) and Junior

Janowicz made sure at the end of 2012 that he would be regarded by all as one of the most improved come 2013. His meteoric rise was completed with a finals appearance at the Masters 1000 event in Paris, where he lost to David Ferrer at the final hurdle. Along the way, Janowicz dispatched Philipp Kohlschreiber, Marin Cilic, Andy Murray, Gilles Simon and Janko Tipsaravic, all after making his way through qualifying. This ensured that across the 2012 season, his ranking jumped from 221 to 26. Standing at a massive 203cm, Janowicz has a booming serve and penetrating groundstrokes.

Janowicz has had an indifferent Grand Slam career, albeit a short one. It will be interesting to watch him play in the best-of-5 arena in Melbourne for the first time (lost 2nd round of qualifying last year).

#26. Florian Mayer

AGE: 29

RANKING: 28

Right Handed

Best Aus Open Result -> R32 (2007, 2010)

STATS

2012 Statistics                                                      

  Matches Tiebreaks Vs Top 10 Vs Top 20 Vs 21+
Win/Loss 28-26 9-7 1-5 2-6 26-20
Hard 9-12 1-3 1-2 1-2 8-10
Clay 14-12 6-4 0-1 0-2 14-10
Grass 5-2 2-0 0-2 1-2 4-0
Grand Slams 5-3 2-1 0-1 1-1 4-2
Vs Top 10 1-5 0-0
Vs R Handers 23-24 7-6 1-4 2-5 21-19
Vs L Handers 3-2 2-1 0-1 0-1 3-1
Best of 3 21-22 7-5 1-4 1-5 20-17
Best of 5 7-4 2-2 0-1 1-1 6-3
Deciding Sets 6-4 4-1

Hard Court Statistics (minus Murray/Federer/Djokovic/Nadal)

Last 3 Years 2012  
Win/Loss 56-38 9-11
Aus + US Open 5-5 0-1
If wins 1st set 46-3 7-1
If 1 set all 16-7 2-1
If loses 1st set 8-32 2-8

Career Grand Slam Record

All Surfaces Hard Court
Win/Loss 30-28 12-15
Won 1st Set 21-6 8-0
Lost 1st Set 9-19 4-13
Won 1st + 2nd Set 17-0 7-0
Lost 1st + 2nd Set 2-17 1-11
1 Set All 11-8 4-2
Up 2 sets to 1 12-0 4-0
Down 2 sets to 1 4-9 2-3

Notable Stats

Positive

  • 7-1 on hardcourt in 2012 when he won the first set

Negative

  • 4-13 hardcourt Grand Slam record when losing the first set
  • 9-12 record on hardcourt in 2012

SYNOPSIS

Mayer is one of the hardest players in the ATP to get a read on, especially in hardcourt. He will come out and beat John Isner 6-4 6-2 on hardcourt, and then get absolutely blown off the court by a no-name the next tournament. His hardcourt 2012 season didn’t end well, with only 1 win in his last 6 matches, against a Bernard Tomic that couldn’t wait the hit the Gold Coast nightclub scene.

The fact he has never passed the 3rd round of the Australian or US Open isn’t the best sign for Mayer. It will be interesting to see how his draw pans out, as his stay in Melbourne could be incredibly short lived.

Australian Open 2012

Did not compete

#27. Jurgen Melzer

AGE: 31

RANKING: 29

Left Handed

Best Aus Open Result -> R16 (2011)

STATS

2012 Statistics                                                      

  Matches Tiebreaks Vs Top 10 Vs Top 20 Vs 21+
Win/Loss 23-25 13-8 0-3 3-7 20-18
Hard 19-16 9-6 0-2 2-4 17-12
Clay 2-6 2-1 0-1 1-2 1-4
Grass 2-3 2-1 0-0 0-1 2-2
Grand Slams 1-4 3-1 0-0 0-0 1-4
Vs Top 10 0-3 0-0
Vs R Handers 20-20 11-7 0-3 2-7 18-3
Vs L Handers 1-5 2-1 0-0 1-0 0-5
Best of 3 20-19 10-6 0-2 3-5 17-14
Best of 5 3-6 3-2 0-1 0-2 3-4
Deciding Sets 10-7

Hard Court Statistics (minus Murray/Federer/Djokovic/Nadal)

Last 3 Years 2012  
Win/Loss 54-31 17-12
Aus + US Open 7-4 0-2
If wins 1st set 46-7 15-3
If 1 set all 14-13 7-5
If loses 1st set 6-22 2-8

Career Grand Slam Record

All Surfaces Hard Court
Win/Loss 46-21 23-10
Won 1st Set 34-8 18-3
Lost 1st Set 10-13 3-7
Won 1st + 2nd Set 28-1 16-0
Lost 1st + 2nd Set 1-11 0-6
1 Set All 15-9 5-4
Up 2 sets to 1 15-5 7-1
Down 2 sets to 1 5-7 1-4

Notable Stats

Positive

  • 18-3 record at hardcourt Grand Slams after winning the first set
  • 7-1 record at hardcourt Grand Slams when up 2 sets to 1
  • 15-3 in 2012 on hardcourt when winning the first set (Exc h2h vs big 4)

Negative

  • 0-3 vs top 10 in 2012
  • 1-4 record at hardcourt Grand Slams when 2 sets to 1 down.

SYNOPSIS

2012 isn’t the best year for Melzer. Melzer finished the year with a few niggly injuries and ended nowhere near the year-high ranking of 19 he reached early in the year.

Like a few of the other seeded players, Melzer can be incredibly hard to read at times. His service hold percentage of 75.7% (2.4% below the ATP average) for the year doesn’t instil a large amount of confidence, so be sure to ride a rollercoaster of emotions when betting on a match with Melzer.

A sign that he is beginning to slow down in his singles career is evident with Melzer becoming one of the better doubles players on the tour at the moment. Be sure to keep an eye on him in the doubles in 2013.

Melzer hasn’t got the best form coming in, being taken out of the Heineken Open by Australian qualifier Greg Jones.

Australian Open 2012

His singles tournament lasted just over 2 hours, losing to big serving Croatian Ivo Karlovic 7-6 7-5 6-3

#28. Martin Klizan

AGE: 23

RANKING: 30

Left Handed

Best Aus Open Result -> First Australian Open

STATS

2012 Statistics                                                      

  Matches Tiebreaks Vs Top 10 Vs Top 20 Vs 21+
Win/Loss 48-22 12-11 1-1 1-4 47-18
Hard 15-10 6-5 1-1 1-4 14-6
Clay 32-9 5-4 0-0 0-0 32-9
Grass 1-3 1-2 0-0 0-0 1-3
Grand Slams 5-3 1-2 1-0 1-1 4-2
Vs Top 10 1-1 0-0
Vs R Handers 33-20 7-10 1-1 1-4 32-16
Vs L Handers 10-2 5-1 0-0 0-0 10-2
Best of 3 40-18 9-8 0-1 0-3 40-15
Best of 5 8-4 3-3 1-0 1-1 7-3
Deciding Sets 8-8

Hard Court Statistics (minus Murray/Federer/Djokovic/Nadal)

Last 3 Years 2012  
Win/Loss 36-30 15-10
Aus + US Open 3-2 3-1
If wins 1st set 30-4 13-2
If 1 set all 11-9 4-3
If loses 1st set 5-25 2-8

Career Grand Slam Record

All Surfaces Hard Court
Win/Loss 5-4 3-2
Won 1st Set 4-1 3-0
Lost 1st Set 0-3 0-2
Won 1st + 2nd Set 2-0 2-0
Lost 1st + 2nd Set 0-2 0-2
1 Set All 2-2 1-0
Up 2 sets to 1 2-1 1-0
Down 2 sets to 1 0-1 0-0

Notable Stats

Positive

  • 13-2 on hardcourt in 2012 when winning the first set (exc. H2h with big 4)
  • 3-0 in hardcourt in Grand Slams when winning the first set

SYNOPSIS

Another of the young up and coming brigade of the future, Klizan made a name for himself for comprehensively defeating Jo-Wilfried Tsonga at the US Open last year.

A winner of the Junior French Open, it is safe to say the leftie made his breakthrough in 2012.

Having been bundled out in the first round of qualifying last year in Melbourne, it will be interesting to see who he draws round 1.

#29. Marcos Baghdatis

AGE: 27

RANKING: 31

Right Handed

Best Aus Open Result -> F (2006)

STATS

2012 Statistics                                                      

  Matches Tiebreaks Vs Top 10 Vs Top 20 Vs 21+
Win/Loss 35-25 12-10 1-8 4-14 21-11
Hard 26-16 10-7 1-6 4-11 22-5
Clay 3-5 0-2 0-0 0-1 3-4
Grass 6-4 2-1 0-2 0-2 6-2
Grand Slams 5-4 2-3 0-1 0-3 5-1
Vs Top 10 1-8 0-2
Vs R Handers 30-24 12-10 1-8 3-14 27-10
Vs L Handers 3-1 0-0 0-0 1-0 2-1
Best of 3 28-21 10-7 1-7 4-11 24-10
Best of 5 7-4 2-3 0-1 0-3 7-1
Deciding Sets 9-7

Hard Court Statistics (minus Murray/Federer/Djokovic/Nadal)

Last 3 Years 2012  
Win/Loss 76-46 26-14
Aus + US Open 6-6 2-2
If wins 1st set 65-8 23-1
If 1 set all 19-16 5-3
If loses 1st set 10-32 2-10

Career Grand Slam Record

All Surfaces Hard Court
Win/Loss 47-30 23-15
Won 1st Set 36-6 18-2
Lost 1st

Author

Ace

I've had a passion for Tennis since I was young and haven't missed a Grand Slam ever since I can remember. I'm always happy to talk Tennis on twitter and respond to any queries so feel free to tweet me your questions.

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