Andy to Face Guccione

Andy will begin his SAP Open campaign on Wednesday evening against big serving Australian Chris Guccione, who replaced Vince Spadea in the draw as a lucky loser when the American had to withdraw with a foot injury.

The 22-year-old Guccione is making his debut in San Jose. The World No. 87 began the season well, reaching his second ATP singles final in Sydney, finishing runner-up to Tursunov. The big serving Aussie is second in the ATP Ricoh Matchfacts Ace leaders table with 151 aces from just eight matches this season. He has also won 94% of his service games this season, the best statistic on the ATP circuit in 2008.

Check out Guccione’s stats below, courtesy of the ATP web site:

Birthdate: 30-Jul-85
Birthplace: Melbourne, Australia
Residence: Melbourne, Australia
Height: 6’7’’ (200 cm)
Weight: 202 lbs (91 kg)
Plays: Left-handed
Turned Pro: 2003
Coach: Brendan Lane
Current ATP Ranking – Singles: 87
Career High ATP Ranking – Singles: 86 (4-Feb-08)
Current ATP Race – Singles: 29
Current Stanford ATP Doubles Ranking: 286
Career High Stanford ATP Doubles Ranking: 200 (23-Oct-06)

This is the first meeting between Andy and Guccione, but it’s likely to be an intriguing encounter with plenty of aces and few service breaks.

The match will be played at 7pm on Wednesday evening.

Go, Andy!