No. 2 seed Novak Djokovic of Serbia is looking to reach his 18th quarter-final (or better) on the ATP World Tour this season Thursday when he meets Czech Republic’s Jan Hernych on Centre Court in the second match. The schedule starts off with Swiss qualifier Michael Lammer and Swiss wild card Marco Chiudinelli battling it out for the first time. In the third match, John Isner takes on Frenchman Richard Gasquet while Swiss No. 2 and No. 6 seed Stanislas Wawrinka squares off with Finland’s Jarkko Nieminen.  On Court 2, Russian Evgeny Korolev plays Frenchman Jeremy Chardy and No. 4 seed Marin Cilic looks for his fourth straight win against Serbia’s Viktor Troicki.  With Federer, Lammer, Chiudinelli and Wawrinka advancing, it marks the first time in Basel since 2001 four Swiss players have reached the 2nd Rd.

THURSDAY SECOND ROUND HEAD-TO-HEADS – In Order of Play

Centre Court

(Q) Michael Lammer (SUI) vs (WC) Marco Chiudinelli (SUI)  First Meeting

Lammer FastFacts:
2009 Highlights:
YTD W-L: 1-4
Career Titles: 0
Date of Birth: March 25, 1982
South African Airways 2009 ATP Ranking: 167

• Lammer, 27, won his first ATP World Tour match in four years Tuesday with a 36 62 75 win over Austria’s Daniel Koellerer…His only win on the ATP World Tour in 15 previous tries came in 2005 when he defeated American Kevin Kim in opening round of US Open (l. to Hrbaty)
• The Swiss veteran is making his second main draw appearance in Basel…He received a wild card in 2005 when he lost in the first round to Jiri Novak
• He enters with a ranking of No. 167 after reaching a career-high No. 161 on Sept. 14…He successfully qualified this season in Dubai (l. Kohlschreiber), Indian Wells (l. Lu) and Gstaad (l. Bellucci)…In September, played in Davis Cup World Group tie vs. Italy and lost dead rubber to Fabio Fognini
• In Gstaad, he captured his first ATP World Tour doubles title (w/Chiudinelli)
• Won French Futures event in February this year

Chiudinelli FastFacts:
2009 Highlights:
QF: Bangkok (l Tsonga)
YTD W-L: 8-11
Career Titles: 0
Date of Birth: September 10, 1981
South African Airways 2009 ATP Ranking: 73

• Chiudinelli, 28, ousted No. 8 seed Philipp Kohlschreiber 76(5) 36 75 on Tuesday and is one win away from reaching his second career ATP World Tour quarter-final
• He is making his fifth appearance in Basel (2-4 record), winning his only previous match in 2004 (d. Montanes)
• He has qualified seven times this year on the ATP World Tour, including four in a row this fall (US Open, Bangkok, Tokyo and Shanghai)
• He reached a career-high ranking of No. 71 last week, putting him behind World No. 1 Roger Federer and No. 21 Stanislas Wawrinka as the top Swiss players
• All of his matches but one have been on hard courts, as he improves to 8-11 overall match record on the ATP World Tour
• Last month he advanced to his first career ATP World Tour quarter-final result in Bangkok where he lost to No. 7-ranked Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in three sets…He followed up by qualifying into Tokyo (d. Sela, l. to Monfils) and ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Shanghai (l. to Bellucci)
• He also qualified at the US Open, reaching the third round with wins over Potito Starace and Mikhail Youzhny before losing to Davydenko
• He is a candidate for ATP Comeback Player of the Year after finishing last season ranked No. 779...He underwent left knee surgery on Nov. 14, 2007 and didn't return to competition until August 2008...He played in four Challenger and three Futures events, closing the year with a title at Dubai #1 Futures
• In March, he played in first round Davis Cup tie against the U.S. and lost to Roddick and Blake in straight sets

Jan Hernych (CZE) vs (2) Novak Djokovic (SRB) Djokovic Leads 2-1
06 's-Hertogenbosch (The Netherlands) Grass R16 Jan Hernych 6-2 6-4
09 Marseille (France) Hard R16 Novak Djokovic 7-5 6-4
09 Dubai (U.A.E.) Hard R16 Novak Djokovic 6-3 3-6 6-4

Hernych FastFacts:
2009 Highlights:
SF: Zagreb (l Ancic)
YTD W-L: 11-23
YTD Titles: 0
Career Titles: 0
Date of Birth: July 7, 1979
South African Airways 2009 ATP Ranking: 59

• Hernych, 30, defeated Aussie qualifier Peter Luczak 63 64 to reach the second round in his Davidoff Swiss Indoors debut match
• It was the first win for the Czech since reaching second round at the US Open in September after defeating Germany’s Rainer Schuettler in five sets (l. to No. 8 Davydenko)
• He enters with an 11-23 match record on the season (9-12 on hard) and is looking to reach his second ATP World Tour quarter-final of the year…His best week came in Zagreb in February when he reached the semi-finals (l. to Ancic in third-set tie-break)
• He achieved career-high South African Airways 2009 ATP Ranking of No. 59 on April 27, 2009 (and  matches that ranking this week)
• He has an 1-17 career record against Top 10 opponents (0-4 in ’09) with his lone win came over No. 6 Davydenko in the first round of Valencia in April 2006

Djokovic FastFacts:
2009 Highlights:
W: Dubai (d Ferrer); Belgrade (d Kubot); Beijing (d Cilic); F: ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Miami (l Murray); ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Monte Carlo (l Nadal); ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Rome (l Nadal); Halle (l Haas); ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Cincinnati (l Federer); SF: Sydney (l Nieminen); Marseille (l Tsonga); ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Madrid (l Nadal); US Open (l Federer); ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Shanghai (l Davydenko); QF: Australian Open (l Roddick); ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Indian Wells (l Roddick); Wimbledon (l Haas); ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Canada (l Roddick)
YTD W-L: 67-18
YTD Titles: 3
Career Titles: 14
Date of Birth: May 22, 1987
South African Airways 2009 ATP Ranking: 3

• Djokovic, 22, won in straight sets Tuesday over German Andreas Beck 63 75 in his tournament debut
• He enters this week having appeared in 13 semi-finals or better in 19 tournaments this season, including four straight semi-finals or better
• He has reached four ATP World Tour Masters 1000 finals this season, including three consecutive  – Miami (l. to Murray), Monte-Carlo (l. to Nadal in three sets) and Rome (l. to Nadal)…Also runner-up in Cincinnati in August (l. to Federer)…Has a 28-7 record in ATP World Tour Masters 1000 events in ‘09
• Owns three titles in 2009 and leads the ATP World Tour in overall match wins (67) and hard court wins (42)…He is co-leader (w/Nadal) with eight finals…The Serb has recorded at least 60 match wins for the third straight season
• Last month, he collected his third ATP World Tour title of the year in Beijing (d. Cilic)
• His other titles have come in his hometown of Belgrade (d. Kubot) on clay in May and in Dubai (d. Ferrer) on hard courts in late February
• Since opening the year with a first round loss to Ernests Gulbis in Brisbane, has reached the quarter-finals or better in 17 of his next 18 tournaments (except Roland Garros, 3rd Rd.)
• In March at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, came in as defending champion and lost to Andy Roddick in the quarter-finals…Earlier in the month lost both of his singles matches on clay in a first round Davis Cup tie in Spain, falling to David Ferrer and Nadal in fourth rubber, which clinched the tie
• Prior to Davis Cup, defeated No. 8 Gilles Simon (SF) and David Ferrer (on Feb. 28) in the Dubai final for his first ATP World Tour title of the season

John Isner (USA) vs Richard Gasquet (FRA)    First Meeting

Isner FastFacts:
2009 Highlights:
SF: Indianapolis (l Ginepri); Washington (l Roddick); QF: Auckland (l Soderling); Houston (l Odesnik); Los Angeles (l Ball); Bangkok (l Troicki)
YTD W-L: 26-16
YTD Titles: 0
Career Titles: 0
Date of Birth: April 26, 1985
South African Airways 2009 ATP Ranking: 40

• Isner, 24, made his tournament debut Wednesday with a three-set win over No. 3 seed and 2005 champion Fernando Gonzalez
• He is one of the most improved players on the ATP World Tour this season, jumping from No. 145 at the end of last year to No. 40 coming into this week
• He reached a career-high No. 39 on Sept. 14 after advancing to a Grand Slam-best fourth round at the US Open (fired 38 aces and beat No. 5 Roddick in fifth set TB, l. to Verdasco in four sets)
• He has reached six ATP World Tour quarter-finals or better and a 26-16 match record on the season, including 25-15 on hard courts…Also has a sparkling 26-10 mark in tie-breaks
• He was sidelined for seven weeks from early May to late June with a bout of mononucleosis
• In his return to the ATP World Tour in late July, he advanced to the semi-finals in Indianapolis (l. to Ginepri) and followed with the quarter-finals in Los Angeles (l. to Ball) and semi-finals in Washington (d. No. 7 Tsonga in 2nd Rd., l. to Roddick in three sets)
• In April, he reached the quarters in Houston (l. to Odesnik) on clay and two weeks later won the Tallahassee Challenger title (d. Young) on hard courts
• Trains at Saddlebrook and resides in Tampa, Fla.
• He also qualified and reached quarter-finals in Auckland (l. to Soderling) to start the year
• He defeated Christophe Rochus, Gael Monfils and Marat Safin in Indian Wells before losing to Juan Martin del Potro in the fourth round
• Coached by Craig Boynton since March 2009 and says of his pupil, “He’s worked hard and he put in a lot of hard work before he was ill. He’s been able to pick up where he left off rather quickly.”

Gasquet FastFacts:
2009 Highlights:
SF: Brisbane (l Stepanek); Sydney (l Nalbandian); Dubai (l Ferrer); Metz (l Monfils); QF: Kuala Lumpur (l Verdasco)
YTD W-L: 21-14
YTD Titles: 0
Career Titles: 5
Date of Birth: June 18, 1986
South African Airways 2009 ATP Ranking: 57

• Gasquet, 23, defeated Argentina’s Horacio Zeballos 76(3) 64 in the opening round in his Basel debut
• He comes into the second round with a 21-14 match record on the season (18-12 on hard)
• The Frenchman has reached four ATP World Tour semi-finals and one quarter-final this year…He advanced to the semis in back-to-back weeks in Brisbane and Sydney in January and in Dubai in late February…He also was a semi-finalist in Metz on Sept. 26, losing to eventual champion Gael Monfils
• His last ATP World Tour final came in Stuttgart in July 2008 when he lost to Juan Martin del Potro
• Overall he is 5-6 in his career in ATP World Tour finals and his last title came in Mumbai on Sept. 30,  2007 (d. O. Rochus)

(6) Stanislas Wawrinka (SUI) vs Jarkko Nieminen (FIN)  First Meeting

Wawrinka FastFacts:
2009 Highlights:
SF: ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Monte Carlo (l Djokovic); QF: Tokyo (l Monfils)
YTD W-L: 30-18
YTD Titles: 0
Career Titles: 1
Date of Birth: March 28, 1985
South African Airways 2009 ATP Ranking: 21

• Wawrinka, 24, rallied back Wednesday to defeat Croat Ivan Ljubicic 67(5) 63 64 and improve his career mark to 5-6 in Basel…He is making his seventh straight appearance and his best result was the semi-finals in 2006 (l. to Gonzalez)
• He reached the third round last month in Shanghai, defeating No. 6 Andy Roddick, who retired with a knee injury for his second Top 10 win of the year before falling in next round to Radek Stepanek…His other Top 10 win came over countryman Roger Federer, ranked No. 2 at the time in third round, to reach the semi-finals in April at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Monte Carlo (l. to Djokovic)
• Since an opening round loss at the US Open (l. to Lapentti), played in a Davis Cup World Group tie against Italy and beat Andreas Seppi in straight sets in the opening rubber to help Switzerland back into the 2010 World Group (vs. Spain)
• Followed up in ATP World Tour play by reaching quarter-finals in Tokyo (l. to Monfils)
• He enters with a 30-18 match record on the season (14-10 on hard courts) and one of only two players in current Top 25 (No. 18 Ferrer) who has yet to win an ATP World Tour title in 2009

Nieminen FastFacts:
2009 Highlights:
F: Sydney (l Nalbandian); QF: Stockholm (l Rochus)
YTD W-L: 12-14
YTD Titles: 0
Career Titles: 1
Date of Birth: July 23, 1981
South African Airways 2009 ATP Ranking: 122

• Nieminen, 28, is trying to reach the quarter-finals for the second time in a month after a 75 62 opening round win over Frenchman Julien Benneteau on Tuesday
• Last month, he reached the quarter-finals in Stockholm where he lost to Belgian Olivier Rochus
• In January, he reached his eighth career ATP World Tour final in Sydney (d. No. 3 Djokovic, l. to Nalbandian)
• He has an 12-14 match record on the season…He played for the first four months before injuring his right wrist, which required surgery on May 13…He was sidelined more than three and a-half months before returning Aug. 24 in New Haven…Then lost in second round at US Open (l. to Tsonga)
• Has finished in the Top 100 every year since 2001 and this week came in at No. 122

Court 2

Evgeny Korolev (RUS) vs Jeremy Chardy (FRA) Chardy Leads 1-0
09 Munich (Germany) Clay R32 Jeremy Chardy 6-3 6-3

Viktor Troicki (SRB) vs (4-WC) Marin Cilic (CRO) Cilic Leads 3-0
08 Chennai (India) Hard R32 Marin Cilic 3-6 7-6(6)  6-1
08 New Haven (U.S.A.) Hard R32 Marin Cilic 2-1 ret
09 Zagreb (Croatia) Hard SF Marin Cilic 6-2 7-5