Big Guns Head To Cincy

With just two weeks remaining until the fourth and final Grand Slam of the year, the US Open Series is moving to Cincinnati. All the big guns are back in action and everyone will be eager to hit form in the lead up to the US Open. The Western and Southern Financial Group Masters is a tournament where Andy has played well in recent years, a quarter finalist in 2002, the champion in 2003 and last year he got through to the semis before losing a very close match to Agassi.

Despite the disappointing week in Montreal, both Andy are coach Goldfine are upbeat about Cincy. However, Andy has his work cut out for him as he has been dealt a tough draw. In the first round he takes on Austrian Jurgen Melzer, a daunting task for Melzer if their previous meetings are anything to go by. In all four matches Andy has not even dropped a set to the lefty from Vienna.

Other seeds in Andy’s quarter include Tim Henman, who he could potentially face in the third round, and Rafael Nadal, who enjoyed a lot of success last week in Montreal. A match against Nadal is a possible quarter final for Andy.

After retiring in Montreal with a stomach virus, Lleyton Hewitt is aiming to be back in action next week in a bid to win some matches before going to New York. He also finds himself in Andy’s half. Arriving in Cincy earlier this week, Andy is ready for a strong finish in the US Open Series.

It is shaping up to be a hard fought battle in the other half of the draw as well. Federer and Safin are both back in action, neither having played since the Wimbledon Championships. Both will be eager to get some matches under their belts, but can only possibly face Andy in the final. Andre Agassi also lurks in the top half of the draw.

With all the top players in competition, it is sure to be an exciting tournament and will give good insight into who’s looking hot and who’s not heading into Flushing Meadows. The main draw gets under way on Monday, August 15th and Andy is scheduled to play Jurgen Melzer (AUT) on Center Court not before 2:00 pm Eastern. The match will not be televised live, but will be replayed on ESPN2 from 11pm-1am Eastern.

Melzer is currently ranked number 35, his highest ranking was earlier in 2005 at 33. Melzer has never won a title, but has taken Andy to three sets once before at the Australian Open. Here are some more statistics on Melzer:

Birthdate:22-May-81
Height:6′0′’ (182 cm)
Weight:165 lbs (75 kg)
Plays:Left-handed
Turned Pro:1999

Stay tuned to AR.com for all the latest news on Andy’s progress in Cincy.

Go Andy!