New Haven Final Preview

© Getty ImagesDenis Istomin is looking to become the first ATP World Tour tournament winner from Uzbekistan.

No. 9 seed Sergiy Stakhovsky of Ukraine attempts to capture his fourth career ATP World Tour title, the second of the season, against first-time finalist and No. 15 seed Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan on Saturday. This is their first meeting in an ATP World Tour main draw but they have played in three Challengers and one qualifying ATP event.

Istomin has won three of the previous four meetings. Istomin is trying to become the first player from Uzbekistan to capture an ATP World Tour singles title and the fourth first-time winner this year.

Stakhovsky is 3-0 lifetime in ATP World Tour finals and he’s trying to become the first Ukrainian to win the title here since Andrei Medvedev in 1993. Medvedev is also the last Ukrainian to win two ATP World Tour titles in a season (1994). This is the first all-European final in New Haven since 1998 when Karol Kucera of Slovakia beat Goran Ivanisevic of Croatia.

WHAT’S AT STAKE 
Winner   $93,360 and 250 South African Airways 2010 ATP Ranking points
Runner-up  $51,300 and 150 South African Airways 2010 ATP Ranking points

FINALS HISTORY
Stakhovsky 4th career ATP World Tour final; has a 3-0 record (1-0 this year)
Istomin  1st  career ATP World Tour final

FIRST-TIME ATP WINNERS – Istomin is trying to become the fourth first- time winner on the ATP World Tour this year and join: John Isner (Auckland), Ernests Gulbis (Delray Beach) and Andrey Golubev (Hamburg).

SATURDAY CHAMPIONSHIP HEAD-TO-HEADS –

(9) Sergiy Stakhovsky (UKR) vs (15) Denis Istomin (UZB)   First ATP Meeting
Other Meetings:
07 Moscow Q (Russia) Hard Q2 Denis Istomin 7-6(2) 7-6(3)
07 Kuala Lumpur CH (Malaysia) Carpet R32 Sergiy Stakhovsky 6-4 6-1
08 Cherkassy CH (Ukraine) Clay SF Denis Istomin 6-7(5)  7-6(7) 7-6(3)
09 Tashkent CH (Uzbekistan) Hard QF Denis Istomin 6-4 7-5

Stakhovsky FastFacts:
2010 Highlights:
W: s-Hertogenbosch (d Tipsarevic); QF: Nice (l Verdasco)
YTD W-L: 21-18 (12-9 on hard)
YTD Titles: 1/Career Titles: 3
Date of Birth: January 6, 1986
South African Airways 2010 ATP Ranking: 47

• Stakhovsky, 24, is 3-0 in his career in ATP World Tour finals…In June he defeated Serb Janko Tipsarevic in the grass court final in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands…Afterwards broke into the Top 50 for the first time at No. 47 on June 21…He reached a career-high No. 46 on July 5 and this week is No. 47…Will jump to around No. 38 if he is runner-up and No. 36 if he wins his first title in the U.S.
• The Kiev native enters with a 21-18 match record on the season, including 12-9 on hard courts…His 21 wins has already surpassed his previous career-high set last year (16-14)…Has a 12-5 tie-break record this season, including 4-0 this week…He beat top seed Marcos Baghdatis 57 61 76(4) in QFs
• This week No. 4 in aces (32), No. 6 in service games won (85%, 44 of 52), saving 19 of 27 break pts
• Two weeks ago in Toronto he defeated Frenchman Richard Gasquet 75 61 before falling to No. 7 and Wimbledon finalist Tomas Berdych 62 64 in the second round…Last week in Cincinnati he lost to American Andy Roddick 64 67(5) 61 in the first round
• His previous best result this season was the quarter-finals in Nice (l. to Verdasco) in May prior to Roland Garros
• The Ukraine native resides in Bratislava, Slovakia and two of his three ATP World Tour titles have come indoors – in Zagreb (d. Ljubicic) as a lucky loser in 2008 and last year in St. Petersburg (d. Zeballos)
• Has finished in the Top 75 the past two seasons, a personal year-end best No. 60 in 2009 and No. 74 in ‘08
 
Istomin FastFacts:
2010 Highlights:
SF: San Jose (l Verdasco); Eastbourne (l Garcia-Lopez); QF: Hamburg (l Golubev)
YTD W-L: 26-19 (14-9 on hard)
YTD Titles: 0/Career Titles: 0
Date of Birth: September 7, 1986
South African Airways 2010 ATP Ranking: 46

• Istomin, 23, the top player from Uzbekistan enters his first ATP World Tour final with a career-best 26-19 match record on the season (14-9 on hard) and ranks a personal-best No. 46 this week…He will jump to around No. 38 by reaching the final and around No. 35 if he wins his first ATP World Tour title
• In the quarter-finals, saved four match points against qualifier Teymuraz Gabashvili 61 36 76(8)
• Leads the tournament this week with 41 aces and No. 6 in return games won (37%, 18 of 49)
• His previous best result was his first ATP World Tour semi-final in San Jose (l. to Verdasco) in February and in June advanced to that round in Eastbourne (l. to Garcia-Lopez)…Last month reached the quarter-finals in Hamburg (l. to eventual champ Golubev)
• He is playing in New Haven for the second straight year (l. to L. Mayer in 1st Rd. in ’09)
• Last week in Cincinnati sprained his right ankle vs. Federer in 2nd Rd. and retired trailing 2-5 in first set
• In January he reached the third round at the Australian Open (d. Chardy, Berrer, l. to No. 3 Djokovic) and at the last Grand Slam at Wimbledon also reached third round (d. Wawrinka, Schuettler, l. to eventual runner-up Berdych, all in five sets)
• Born in Orenburg, Russia and used to reside in Tashkent, Uzbekistan and now lives in Moscow
• Father, Oleg, is a businessman; mother, Klaudiya Istomina, coaches her son... Suffered a leg injury in a car accident traveling to a Futures event in Tashkent in April 2001, underwent surgery which required as many as 80 stitches and spent three months in the hospital...Did not touch a racquet for two years, resuming training in April 2003
• Has never finished in Top 100 and last year was No. 102 with a 16-18 match record

DOUBLES FINAL PREVIEW – WIMBLEDON FINALISTS LINDSTEDT-TECAU MEET BOPANNA-QURESHI

Wimbledon finalists Robert Lindstedt of Sweden and Horia Tecau of Romania take on Rohan Bopanna of India and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi of Pakistan on Saturday in an all-unseeded doubles championship.

Both teams defeated seeds en route to the final with Lindstedt-Tecau defeating No. 3 Kubot-Marach in the first round while Bopanna-Qureshi beat No. 4 Fyrstenberg-Matkowski in the first round and No. 2 Bhupathi-Mirnyi in the semi-finals.

Lindstedt-Tecau are 2-0 this season against Bopanna-Qureshi, winning in the Casablanca final in April and in the quarter-finals in ‘s-Hertogenbosch in June, en route to the title. Overall they are 3-1 in finals this season. They advanced to their first Grand Slam final at Wimbledon (l. to Melzer-Petzschner) in July and afterwards they won the title in Bastad. They came in this week No. 9 in the ATP Doubles Team Ranking.

Lindstedt is 9-8 lifetime in ATP World Tour finals and Tecau is 4-3. All four of Tecau’s titles have come this year. Besides the three with Lindstedt, he won his first ATP World Tour title in January in Auckland (w/Daniell).

Bopanna-Qureshi are 1-2 in ATP World Tour finals this season, capturing their first title together in Johannesburg in February and reaching finals in Casablanca in April and Nice in May, both on clay.

They have a 24-12 match record together this season and they were tied No. 15 in the ATP Doubles Team Ranking. Bopanna is 2-9 in his career in ATP World Tour finals while Qureshi is 1-4.