De Voest First Test for Andy in LA.

Playing his first match under the guidance of Jimmy Connors, Andy will face Rik De Voest in the first round of the 2006 Countrywide Classic. The temperatures have been soaring in California recently and Andy will be hoping to turn up the heat even more for De Voest with some new found confidence after his great run in Indy.

Born in Italy, De Voest now resides in and represents South Africa. He has spent most of this year on the Challenger circuit and has only racked up two wins on the ATP tour. His recent schedule took him to Newport where he won one of those matches against Kubot before falling to Mark Philippoussis. His highlights this year include winning the Mexico City Challenger and reaching the final of the Challenger in Noumea.

Here are some stats on De Voest from the ATP web site:

Birthdate:5-Jun-80
Birthplace:Milan, Italy
Residence:Pretoria, South Africa
Height:5’11’’ (180 cm)
Weight:150 lbs (68 kg)
Plays:Right-handed
Turned Pro:1999
Coach:N/A
Current INDESIT ATP Ranking – Singles:136
Career High INDESIT ATP Ranking – Singles:135 (5/15/2006)
Current Stanford ATP Doubles Ranking:115
Career High Stanford ATP Doubles Ranking:87 (6/21/2004)

Andy has played Rik De Voest just once before, in 2003 at Queens Club where Andy won in straight sets before going on to lift the trophy. Hopefully that head to head will stand at 2-0 to Andy after Wednesday’s match. The match is scheduled to be played third on Stadium Court starting not before 3.30pm. Good luck, Andy!!