Moscow Sunday Preview - Youzhny To Challenge First-Time Finalist Tipsarevic In Final

© Kremlin CupMikhail Youzhny on a roll in Moscow.

No. 3 seed Mikhail Youzhny looks to extend the Russian title streak in Moscow to six consecutive years on Sunday as he takes on No. 6 seed and first-time ATP World Tour finalist Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia. Both players have yet to drop a set this week. Russians are 13-3 in Kremlin Cup finals with two of the losses coming against countrymen. Tipsarevic, who is 2-0 lifetime against Youzhny, is trying to become the sixth first-time winner on the ATP World Tour this year and the first non-Russian to win the Kremlin Cup since American Taylor Dent in 2003. Youzhny, who is making his first Moscow final appearance in his 11th attempt, is 0-2 in title matches this season and 4-6 in his career.
 
WHAT’S AT STAKE –
Winner: $170,000 and 250 South African Airways 2009 ATP Ranking points                  
Runner-up: $91,000 and 150 South African Airways 2009 ATP Ranking points
 
FINALS HISTORY –
Tipsarevic: Appearing in his 1st  ATP World Tour final
Youzhny: Appearing in his 11th ATP World Tour final... He is 4-6 in finals (0-2 in 2009 finals)

RUSSIAN WINNERS IN MOSCOW – Youzhny is attempting to become the sixth straight Russian to win the Kremlin Cup and 14th in the tournament's 20-year history. Here are the Russian winners:

2008 - Igor Kunitsyn
2007 - Nikolay Davydenko
2006 - Nikolay Davydenko
2005 - Igor Andreev
2004 - Nikolay Davydenko
Other winners: Yevgeny Kafelnikov (1997-2001), Alexander Volkov (1994), Andrei Cherkasov (1990-91)

2009 FIRST-TIME WINNERS – Tipsarevic is trying to become the sixth first-time winner on the ATP World Tour this year, the first since Brazilian Thomaz Bellucci in Gstaad on Aug. 2:

 Age Tournament
Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, ESP 25 Kitzbuehel
Benjamin Becker/GER 28 ‘s-Hertogenbosch
Rajeev Ram/USA 25 Newport
Jeremy Chardy/FRA 22 Stuttgart
Thomaz Bellucci/BRA  21 Gstaad

CHAMPIONSHIP HEAD-TO-HEADS –

(6) Janko Tipsarevic (SRB) vs (3) Mikhail Youzhny (RUS) Tipsarevic Leads 2-0
08 Rotterdam (The Netherlands) Hard R32 Janko Tipsarevic 7-6(3) 6-4
08 ATP Masters Series Miami (U.S.A.) Hard R16 Janko Tipsarevic 3-6  6-0 6-3

Tipsarevic FastFacts:
2009 Highlights:
QF: Chennai (l Cilic); Eastbourne (l Garcia-Lopez); Metz (l Monfils)
YTD W-L: 26-22
YTD Titles: 0
Career Titles: 0
Date of Birth: June 22, 1984
South African Airways 2009 ATP Ranking: 46

• Tipsarevic, 25, has not dropped a set this week en route to his maiden ATP World Tour final in 105th career tournament…This week he defeated Austrian Daniel Koellerer 64 63, Belgian Christophe Rochus 64 21 ret., American Robby Ginepri 63 63 and qualifier Illya Marchenko 61 64
• His previous career best showing was the semi-finals in Moscow two years ago (l. to No. 4 Davydenko)
• He comes in with a 26-22 match record on the season (14-9 on hard) and he's trying to join countryman Novak Djokovic as winners on the ATP World Tour this season…Djokovic is a three-time winner in ‘09
• In his last ATP World Tour appearance last month in Metz, he retired in the quarter-finals due to an ankle injury against Frenchman Gael Monfils...Two weeks later, he captured the Mons Challenger title in Belgium without dropping a set (d. Stakhovsky in final)
• His previous best results this year were the quarter-finals came in the first week of action in Chennai where he lost to eventual champ Marin Cilic and in Eastbourne on grass in June (l. to Garcia-Lopez)
• In May, he helped his country to a title at the ATP World Tour Team Championship in Duesseldorf by winning three of four singles matches 
• In March, he reached the third round at ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Miami (l. to del Potro)
• In 2008, finished in the Top 50 for the first time at No. 49 with a 26-21 match record, highlighted by a fourth round showing at Wimbledon (d. No. 6 Roddick, l. to Schuettler) and third round at the Australian Open (l. to Federer 10-8 in fifth set)
• He reached a career-high No. 33 on May 12, 2008

Youzhny FastFacts:
2009 Highlights:
F: Munich (l Berdych); Tokyo (l Tsonga); SF: Kitzbühel (l Garcia-Lopez); QF: Rotterdam (l Ancic); Marseille (l Llodra); London / Queen's Club (l Blake); Kuala Lumpur (l Gonzalez)
YTD W-L: 36-26
YTD Titles: 0
Career Titles: 4
Date of Birth: June 25, 1982
South African Airways 2009 ATP Ranking: 30

• Youzhny, 27, advanced to his first final in Moscow in his 11th straight Kremlin Cup…His previous best showing was the semi-finals in 2004 (l. to Davydneko)…He enters with a 12-10 record in Moscow…He also was a quarter-finalist in 2000 (l. to Rosset) and 2005 (l. to Tursunov)…He is trying to extend the Russian title streak in Moscow to six straight years…The last non-Russian to win the title was American Taylor Dent in 2003
• This week he has only lost 18 games in eight sets en route to the final, defeating Horacio Zeballos 61 76(5) in the first round, Italy’s Potito Starace 61 61 in the second round, qualifier Sergiy Stakhovsky 63 63 in the quarter-finals and qualifier Mikhail Kukushkin 62 61 in the semi-finals
• He is appearing in his third ATP World Tour final of the season and two weeks ago he reached the final in Tokyo for his second runner-up in 2009 (l. to Tsonga)…In May, he turned in a runner-up effort in Munich where he lost to Tomas Berdych in a third set tie-break…His last ATP World Tour title came in Chennai in January 2008 (d. Nadal)
• The No. 2 Russian (behind No. 6 Davydenko) owns a 36-26 record on the season, including 21-15 on hard courts…He is 4-6 in his career in ATP World Tour finals (1-1 in Russia, won St. Petersburg in 2004 and runner-up in 2002)
• In 2008, finished in Top 50 for the seventh straight year at No. 33, jumping off to a 12-2 start in first three tournaments of the year and climbing as high as No. 8 on South African Airways ATP Ranking in January last year

DOUBLES FINAL – TOP SEEDS CERMAK-MERTINAK TAKE ON NO. 3 CUEVAS-GRANOLLERS

Top seeds Frantisek Cermak of the Czech Republic and Michal Mertinak of the Slovak Republic
meet No. 3 seeds Pablo Cuevas of Uruguay and Marcel Granollers of Spain in Sunday’s Kremlin Cup doubles championship.

Cermak and Mertinak are 4-1 in ATP World Tour finals this year, capturing clay titles in Acapulco, Stuttgart, Umag and Bucharest while reaching the final in Vina del Mar. Cermak is attempting to earn his 21st career ATP World Tour title (20-13) and Mertinak his 11th ATP World Tour title (10-2).

Cermak and Mertinak are No. 9 in the ATP Doubles Team Ranking and they are trying to earn a spot in the year-ending Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London next month.

Cuevas and Granollers are teaming together for the fourth time (10-3 record). They made a successful debut in Houston in April 2008 by reaching the final and were semi-finalists in Amersfoort last year and Bucharest last month.

Cuevas is appearing in his fourth doubles final (2-1), his first on hard courts. He won titles at Roland Garros (w/Horna) last year and Vina del Mar (w/Dabul) this year. Granollers is also 2-1 in doubles finals and he’s in his first non-clay final. This year he won titles in Costa do Sauipe (w/Robredo) and Buenos Aires (w/A. Martin).