Los Angeles Thursday Preview

© Getty ImagesAndy Murray plays his first match in Los Angeles on Thursday.

Top seed and wild card entry Andy Murray of Scotland, No. 4 Feliciano Lopez of Spain, No. 5 Ernests Gulbis of Lativa and wild card James Blake headline Thursday’s second round action on Straus Stadium.

In the first match on, Lopez and top Israeli Dudi Sela meet for the first time. Lopez captured his second career ATP World Tour title in Johannesburg in February and he enters with a 20-15 match record on the season. Sela is trying to advance to his third ATP World Tour quarter-final (or better) this year.

In the second match on, Colombian Alejandro Falla and Gulbis square off for the first time on the ATP World Tour. Both players have reached career-high rankings this year – Falla was No. 58 on Apr. 19 while Gulbis was No. 27 on May 17. Falla is looking to reach his second ATP World Tour quarter-final of the year and Gulbis his seventh quarter-final or better. The 21-year-old Gulbis is playing in his first tournament in two months after suffering a hamstring injury at Roland Garros.

In the third match, Blake takes a 2-0 lifetime lead against German Benjamin Becker. Blake is eyeing his third ATP World Tour quarter-final of the season, the first since February in Delray Beach. Becker has been to the quarters or better three previous times in 2010.

In the night session, Murray meets American qualifier Tim Smyczek, who posted his first career ATP World Tour match win (1-3) over Russian Teymuraz Gabashvili. All four of Smyczek’s ATP World Tour main draws have come in California – 2008, ’10 in San Jose and 2010 in Indian Wells. Murray is appearing in his first tournament since reaching the semi-finals at Wimbledon for the second straight year (l. to Nadal). The 23-year-old British No. 1 has a 22-10 match record on the season and his best result was a runner-up showing at the Australian Open (l. to Federer) in January.

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

Straus Stadium

(4) Feliciano Lopez (ESP) vs Dudi Sela (ISR)    First Meeting

Lopez FastFacts:
2010 Highlights:
W: Johannesburg (d Robert); SF: London / Queen's Club (l Fish); QF: ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Rome (l Gulbis)
YTD W-L: 20-15 (9-7 on hard)
YTD Titles: 1
Career Titles: 2
Date of Birth: September 20, 1981
South African Airways 2010 ATP Ranking: 27

Sela FastFacts:
2010 Highlights:
SF: Chennai (l Wawrinka); QF: London / Queen's Club (l Schuettler)
YTD W-L: 13-16 (8-8 on hard)
YTD Titles: 0
Career Titles: 0
Date of Birth: April 4, 1985
South African Airways 2010 ATP Ranking: 104

Alejandro Falla (COL) vs (5) Ernests Gulbis (LAT) First ATP Meeting
Other Meetings:
07 Mons CH (Belgium) Hard SF Ernests Gulbis 6-4  6-2
09 ATP Masters 1000 Montreal Q  Hard Q2 Alejandro Falla 7-6(4)  7-5

Falla FastFacts:
2010 Highlights:
QF: s-Hertogenbosch (l Malisse)
YTD W-L: 10-11 (5-4 on hard)
YTD Titles: 0
Career Titles: 0
Date of Birth: November 14, 1983
South African Airways 2010 ATP Ranking: 65

Gulbis FastFacts:
2010 Highlights:
W: Delray Beach (d Karlovic); SF: Memphis (l Querrey); ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Rome (l Nadal); QF: Doha (l Federer); Barcelona (l Verdasco); ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Madrid (l Federer)
YTD W-L: 23-10 (12-5 on hard)
YTD Titles: 1
Career Titles: 1
Date of Birth: August 30, 1988
South African Airways 2010 ATP Ranking: 28

(WC) James Blake (USA) vs Benjamin Becker (GER) Blake Leads 2-0
07 Delray Beach (U.S.A.) Hard SF James Blake 6-3 7-6(7)
08 Halle (Germany) Grass R16 James Blake 4-6 7-5 6-3

Blake FastFacts:
2010 Highlights:
QF: Brisbane (l Monfils); Delray Beach (l Karlovic)
YTD W-L: 9-10 (9-8 on hard)
YTD Titles: 0
Career Titles: 10
Date of Birth: December 28, 1979
South African Airways 2010 ATP Ranking: 117

Becker FastFacts:
2010 Highlights:
SF: Halle (l Hewitt); s-Hertogenbosch (l Tipsarevic); QF: Delray Beach (l Nieminen)
YTD W-L: 20-20 (10-12 on hard)
YTD Titles: 0
Career Titles: 1
Date of Birth: June 16, 1981
South African Airways 2010 ATP Ranking: 67

(1-WC) Andy Murray (GBR) vs (Q) Tim Smyczek (USA)  First Meeting

Murray FastFacts:
2010 Highlights:
F: Australian Open (l Federer); SF: Wimbledon (l Nadal); QF: ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Indian Wells (l Soderling); ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Madrid (l Ferrer)
YTD W-L: 22-10 (10-4 on hard)
YTD Titles: 0
Career Titles: 14
Date of Birth: May 15, 1987
South African Airways 2010 ATP Ranking: 4

Smyczek FastFacts:
2010 Highlights:
YTD W-L: 1-2 (1-2 on hard)
YTD Titles: 0
Career Titles: 0
Date of Birth: December 3, 1987
South African Airways 2010 ATP Ranking: 192