Kuala Lumpur Sunday Preview

© Getty ImagesMikhail Youzhny will contest his fourth ATP World Tour final of the season.

An ATP World Tour veteran and one of the newest stars will put their fierce one-handed backhands on display on Sunday as No. 4 seed Mikhail Youzhny of Russia and No. 8 Andrey Golubev of Kazakhstan battle it out for the Malaysian Open title. Youzhny has won all three previous meetings, all on hard courts, including two this year.

The 28-year-old Youzhny, who returned to the Top 10 for the first time in two and a half years after reaching the semi-finals at the US Open three weeks ago, is in 10th place in the race to the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London and looks to pick up valuable points this week to qualify for the season finale for the first time. The Russian hasn’t had an easy path to the final, going to three sets in all three of his matches so far this week - including coming back from a set and a double break down against Marcos Baghdatis in the quarter-finals. By contrast, the 23-year-old Golubev has not lost a set in his four matches, including a 63 62 victory over No. 5-ranked and top-seeded Robin Soderling in the quarter-finals - the biggest win of his young career.

Both players have won an ATP World Tour title this year, in Germany – Youzhny in Munich in May, and Golubev in Hamburg in July.

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If Golubev wins the final in straight sets, he will join World No. 1 Rafael Nadal as the only players not to lose a set en route to two titles this year (Golubev didn’t lose a set en route to winning his first career title in Hamburg). Nadal has stormed through two tournaments without losing a set - Monte-Carlo and Roland Garros.

In the doubles final, two experienced teams meet for the title as the top seeded Polish duo of Mariusz Fyrstenberg and Marcin Matkowski, in their 26th ATP World Tour doubles final together (11-14 record), meet No. 2 seeds Frantisek Cermak and Michal Mertinak, who are playing in their 10th final together (5-4 mark).

WHAT’S AT STAKE
Winner        $153,500 and 250 South African Airways 2010 ATP Ranking points
Runner-up  $80,700 and 150 South African Airways 2010 ATP Ranking points

FINALS HISTORY
Youzhny  Appearing in his 16th career ATP World Tour final………he is 6-9 in finals (1-2 in 2010)
Golubev   Appearing in his 3rd career ATP World Tour final………..he is 1-1 in finals (1-0 in 2010)

SUNDAY CHAMPIONSHIP HEAD-TO-HEADS –

(4) Mikhail Youzhny (RUS) vs (8) Andrey Golubev (KAZ) Youzhny Leads 3-0
09 St. Petersburg (Russia) Hard R32 Mikhail Youzhny 6-3 6-2
10 Rotterdam (The Netherlands) Hard R32 Mikhail Youzhny 1-6 7-6(0) 7-6(5)
10 US Open (U.S.A.) Hard R128 Mikhail Youzhny 6-2 6-3 6-3

Youzhny FastFacts:
2010 Highlights:
W: Munich (d Cilic); F: Rotterdam (l Soderling); Dubai (l Djokovic); SF: US Open (l Nadal); QF: ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Miami (l Soderling); Roland Garros (l Berdych); Gstaad (l Schukin)
YTD W-L: 38-15 (25-8 on hard)
YTD Titles: 1
Career Titles: 6
Date of Birth: June 25, 1982
South African Airways 2010 ATP Ranking: 9

• Youzhny, 28, is playing in his fourth ATP World Tour final of the season (1-2, winning sixth career title in Munich and finishing runner-up in Rotterdam and Dubai); has reached QFs or better in another four times, including a second Grand Slam SF at US Open (l. to Nadal; afterwards jumped back into Top 10, rising from No. 14 to No. 9)
• Second appearance here (5-1 record); reached QF last year (d. Ferrer and Baghdatis in 1st Rd. and 2nd Rd.; l. to Gonzalez); has won all three matches in three sets this week (as No. 4 seed w/1st Rd. bye, d. Dolgopolov 61 57 75 in 2nd Rd., No. 6 seed Baghdatis 67(5) 75 61 in QFs and qualifier Andreev 36 60 62 in SFs)
• The Russian is playing in his 16th career ATP World Tour final (6-9 record), his sixth final in Asia (1-4 mark)
• Career-high is No. 8 (set January 28, 2008); currently spending eighth career week in Top 10 (spent one week at No. 10 in 2007, four weeks at No. 8 in 2008 and is now in third straight week at No. 9 since US Open)

 
Golubev FastFacts:
2010 Highlights:
W: Hamburg (d Melzer)
YTD W-L: 22-15 (11-7 on hard)
YTD Titles: 1
Career Titles: 1
Date of Birth: July 22, 1987
South African Airways 2010 ATP Ranking: 41

• Golubev, 23, is playing in his second ATP World Tour final of year (won his first one, beating Jurgen Melzer in Hamburg final in July) and in his third career ATP World Tour final…He was runner-up at 2008 St. Petersburg (l. to Murray)
• One of the most improved players this year, jumping from No. 133 last season to No.41 now (largely helped by winning his first ATP World Tour title in Hamburg in the summer, which propelled him from No. 82 to No. 37)
• Last month helped Kazakhstan to Davis Cup World Group for first time (won two rubbers against Switzerland)
• Second appearance here (4-1 record); fell 1st Rd. last year (l. to Dent 7-6 third set); is 4-0 so far this year (as No. 8 seed, d. Lu in 1st Rd., Anderson in 2nd Rd., No. 1 seed Soderling in QFs and No. 5 seed Ferrer in SFs; hasn’t lost a set en route, including 63 62 win over World No. 5 Soderling, the biggest win of his career)
• Came in ranked No. 41 and will move to around a career-high No. 34 by reaching the final and around No. 30 if he captures the title…His previous career-high is No. 36 (set August 9, 2010)

DOUBLES FINAL – TOP TWO SEEDS TO BATTLE IT OUT IN CHAMPIONSHIP

• Mariusz Fyrstenberg and Marcin Matkowski, seeded No. 1, haven’t lost a set en route to the final
• Fyrstenberg and Matkowski are in their 26th ATP World Tour doubles final together (11-14 in first 25)
• Frantisek Cermak and Michal Mertinak, seeded No. 2, have lost one set en route to the final, beating Stephen Huss and Ross Hutchins in the quarter-finals in a match tie-break, 57 61 105
• Cermak and Mertinak are in their 10th ATP World Tour doubles final together (5-4 in first 9)
• ATP doubles finals records: Fyrstenberg (11-14), Matkowski (11-14), Cermak (21-16), Mertinak (11-5)