METZ THURSDAY PREVIEW –  TOP SEEDS TSONGA, GASQUET, FRENCHMEN MAHUT-CLEMENT IN ACTION 
The remaining five second round matches will be played at the Moselle Open on Thursday, with the top two seeds and pair of Frenchmen highlighting the schedule.

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In the first match on Centre Court, Igor Kunitsyn of Russia and No. 6 seed Xavier Malisse of Belgium square off for the first time. Kunitsyn is looking to reach his third ATP World Tour quarter-final of the season, the first since late July in Los Angeles, while Malisse is also trying to advance to his third quarter-final or better, his first since getting to the semi-finals in ‘s-Hertogenbosch in June. Malisse reached the quarters here last year. The winner will even his match record on the season. Kunitsyn comes in with a 15-16 mark and Malisse is 21-22.

In the second match, No. 7 seed and 2009 runner-up Philipp Kohlschreiber takes on Dutch qualifier Igor Sijsling for the first time. Kohlschreiber, who is the No. 2 German (behind No. 24 Florian Mayer), has an 8-5 mark in Metz. He enters with a 26-22 match record on the year, highlighted by his third career ATP World Tour title in Halle in June (d. Petzschner).  He is ranked No. 45. Sijsling is trying to reach his first career ATP World Tour quarter-final. He is ranked No. 148 and owns a 4-9 career match record.

In the third match, French countrymen Nicolas Mahut and wild card/2003 Metz champion Arnaud Clement meet for the fourth time on the ATP World Tour. Mahut has won the previous three tour meetings and three of the four Challenger matches. Mahut is 8-9 on the season and ranked No. 92. He is trying to reach his first ATP World Tour quarter-final since Newport in July 2009. The 33-year-old Clement, who is the oldest player in the draw, has an 11-7 career mark. He is 6-9 on the season and ranked No. 172. Clement’s last ATP World Tour quarter-final was in Estoril in May last year.

In the evening session, top seed and No. 2 Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who reached the quarter-finals here four years ago in his last appearance, plays qualifier Mathieu Rodrigues for the first time.Tsonga is No. 7 in the ATP year-to-date singles rankings and he’s trying to qualify for one of the remaining four spots in the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London. Tsonga is 37-18 on the season and his best results are runner-up showings in Rotterdam (l. to Soderling) in February and the Queen’s Club in London (l. to Murray) in June. Rodrigues made a successful ATP World Tour main draw debut with a first round win over Mikhail Kukushkin.

In the final match, No. 2 Belgian Olivier Rochus and No. 2 seed Richard Gasquet square off for the eighth time. Gasquet has a 5-2 career advantage, winning the past three meetings last year on clay. Both of Rochus’ wins came on hard courts, including their first meeting in Marseille in 2003. Gasquet owns a 12-5 mark in Metz and he reached the final in 2004. Rochus last reached an ATP World Tour quarter-final in July in Newport where he was runner-up (l. to Isner). Gasquet is 32-18 on the season and QF-or better in five tournaments.

THURSDAY SECOND ROUND FED-EX HEAD 2 HEADS – In Order of Play by Court

Centre Court

Igor Kunitsyn (RUS) vs (6) Xavier Malisse (BEL)    First Meeting

Kunitsyn FastFacts:
2011 Highlights:
SF: Eastbourne (l Seppi); QF: Los Angeles (l Fish)
YTD W-L: 15-16
YTD Titles: 0
Career Titles: 1
Date of Birth: September 30, 1981
South African Airways 2011 ATP Ranking: 58

Malisse FastFacts:
2011 Highlights:
F: Chennai (l Wawrinka); SF: s-Hertogenbosch (l Tursunov)
YTD W-L: 21-22
YTD Titles: 0
Career Titles: 3
Date of Birth: July 19, 1980
South African Airways 2011 ATP Ranking: 47

(7) Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER) vs (Q) Igor Sijsling (NED) First Meeting

Kohlschreiber FastFacts:
2011 Highlights:
W: Halle (d Petzschner); QF: Auckland (l Ferrer); Munich (l Stepanek)
YTD W-L: 26-22
YTD Titles: 1
Career Titles: 3
Date of Birth: October 16, 1983
South African Airways 2011 ATP Ranking: 45

Sijsling FastFacts:
2011 Highlights:
YTD W-L: 1-2
YTD Titles: 0
Career Titles: 0
Date of Birth: August 18, 1987
South African Airways 2011 ATP Ranking: 148

Nicolas Mahut (FRA) vs (WC) Arnaud Clement (FRA) Mahut Leads 3-0
06 Casablanca (Morocco) Clay R16 Nicolas Mahut 6-3 7-6(6)
07 London / Queen's Club (Great Britain)Grass SF Nicolas Mahut 6-3 7-6(4)
07 Wimbledon (Great Britain) Grass R128 Nicolas Mahut 6-3 3-6 7-6(5)  6-4
Other Meetings:
04 Grenoble CH (France) Hard R32 Nicolas Mahut 6-4 6-2
05 Orleans CH (France) Hard SF Nicolas Mahut 6-2 7-6(5)
10 Cherbourg CH (France) Hard SF Nicolas Mahut 7-6(9) 2-6 6-3
11 Granby CH (Canada) Hard QF Arnaud Clement 6-1 7-5

Mahut FastFacts:
2011 Highlights:
YTD W-L: 8-9
YTD Titles: 0
Career Titles: 0
Date of Birth: January 21, 1982
South African Airways 2011 ATP Ranking: 92

Clement FastFacts:
2011 Highlights:
YTD W-L: 6-9
YTD Titles: 0
Career Titles: 4
Date of Birth: December 17, 1977
South African Airways 2011 ATP Ranking: 172

(1)Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA) vs (Q) Mathieu Rodrigues (FRA)   First Meeting

Tsonga FastFacts:
2011 Highlights:
F: Rotterdam (l Soderling); London / Queen's Club (l Murray); SF: Doha (l Federer); Wimbledon (l Djokovic); ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Canada (l Djokovic); QF: Marseille (l Youzhny); US Open (l Federer)
YTD W-L: 37-18
YTD Titles: 0/Career Titles: 5
Date of Birth: April 17, 1985
South African Airways 2011 ATP Ranking: 10

Rodrigues FastFacts:
2011 Highlights:
YTD W-L: 1-0
YTD Titles: 0/Career Titles: 0
Date of Birth: November 7, 1985
South African Airways 2011 ATP Ranking: 275

Olivier Rochus (BEL) vs (2) Richard Gasquet (FRA) Gasquet Leads 5-2
03 Marseille (France) Hard R16 Olivier Rochus 6-7(1) 5-0 ret
07 Mumbai (India) Hard F Richard Gasquet 6-3 6-4
08 s-Hertogenbosch (The Netherlands) Grass R32 Richard Gasquet 6-2 7-6(3)
10 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Miami Hard R128 Olivier Rochus 7-6(2) 1-6 6-4
10 Casablanca (Morocco) Clay R32 Richard Gasquet 6-1 6-1
10 Belgrade (Serbia) Clay R32 Richard Gasquet 6-0 6-1
10 Nice (France) Clay QF Richard Gasquet 6-4 6-2
Other Meeting:
10 Bordeaux CH (France) Clay QF Richard Gasquet 6-1 6-2
 
Rochus FastFacts:
2011 Highlights:
F: Newport (l Isner); QF: Eastbourne (l Seppi)
YTD W-L: 12-13
YTD Titles: 0
Career Titles: 2
Date of Birth: January 18, 1981
South African Airways 2011 ATP Ranking: 80

Gasquet FastFacts:
2011 Highlights:
SF: Dubai (l Federer); ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Rome (l Nadal); QF: Sydney (l Troicki); Zagreb (l Berrer); ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Indian Wells (l Djokovic)
YTD W-L: 32-18
YTD Titles: 0
Career Titles: 6
Date of Birth: June 18, 1986
South African Airways 2011 ATP Ranking: 15

BUCHAREST THURSDAY PREVIEW - MAYER & ANDUJAR BEGIN BUCHAREST CAMPAIGNS ON CENTRAL COURT
Germany’s No. 1 player leads a charge for the quarter-finals as the last six second round encounters at the BDR Nastase Tiriac Trophy take place in Bucharest this week, the last clay court tournament of the year.

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First up on Central is Joao Souza against wild card Adrian Ungur, a battle between their respective countries’ No. 2 players (Souza is the No. 2 Brazilian behind Thomaz Bellucci, Ungur is the No. 2 Romanian behind Victor Hanescu). Although this is a first-time meeting, Souza has a few things going for him in this match-up - he is the higher-ranked player (he broke into the Top 100 in the summer and is currently No. 84, while Ungur is No. 131) and he did pull off a big upset in the first round over No. 5 seed and former Top 10 player Tommy Robredo.

Next up is No. 2 seed Florian Mayer against Carlos Berlocq. Mayer, who cracked the Top 20 earlier this year and is Germany’s highest-ranked player, will try to reach his ninth ATP World Tour quarter-final of the season, three of the previous eight coming on this very surface (including his first Masters 1000 quarter-final at Rome). While he lost his opening match at this tournament the last two times he has played here, in his other three tries here he has reached at least the quarter-finals. He is playing 28-year-old Argentine Berlocq for the first time.

The last match on Central pits No. 4 seed Pablo Andujar against Marius Copil. Andujar has come a long way since a year ago, when he made it to the final of Bucharest as a No. 105-ranked qualifier - he now has his first ATP World Tour title, at Casablanca earlier this year, and is now ranked a career-high No. 43 in the world. He will begin his quest to return to the finals here against Copil, the youngest player in the draw at 20 years and 11 months. Copil beat fellow Romanian wild card Victor Crivoi in the first round. This is a first-time meeting.

On Semi-Central, veteran Filippo Volandri of Italy looks to avenge last year’s second round loss to No. 3 seed Marcel Granollers of Spain. Granollers has won two of the previous three meetings, all on clay.

THURSDAY SECOND ROUND FED-X HEAD 2 HEADS - In Order of Play

Central

Joao Souza (BRA) vs (WC) Adrian Ungur (ROU)   First Meeting

Souza FastFacts:
2011 Highlights:
SF: Kitzbuehel (l Haase)
YTD W-L: 6-6
YTD Titles: 0
Career Titles: 0
Date of Birth: May 27, 1988
South African Airways 2011 ATP Ranking: 84

Ungur FastFacts:
2011 Highlights:
YTD W-L: 3-4
YTD Titles: 0
Career Titles: 0
Date of Birth: January 25, 1985
South African Airways 2011 ATP Ranking: 131

Carlos Berlocq (ARG) vs (2) Florian Mayer (GER)    First Meeting

Berlocq FastFacts:
2011 Highlights:
QF: Umag (l Ferrero)
YTD W-L: 14-20
YTD Titles: 0
Career Titles: 0
Date of Birth: February 3, 1983
South African Airways 2011 ATP Ranking: 71

Mayer FastFacts:
2011 Highlights:
F: Munich (l Davydenko); SF: Sydney (l Troicki); Zagreb (l Berrer); QF: Brisbane (l Stepanek); Dubai (l Djokovic); ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Rome (l Murray); Halle (l Monfils); Hamburg (l Almagro)
YTD W-L: 34-22
YTD Titles: 0
Career Titles: 0
Date of Birth: October 5, 1983
South African Airways 2011 ATP Ranking: 24

(4) Pablo Andujar (ESP) vs (WC) Marius Copil (ROU)   First Meeting

Andujar FastFacts:
2011 Highlights:
W: Casablanca (d Starace); F: Stuttgart (l Ferrero); QF: Costa Do Sauipe (l Mello); Nice (l Almagro); Kitzbühel (l Souza)
YTD W-L: 21-22
YTD Titles: 1
Career Titles: 1
Date of Birth: January 23, 1986
South African Airways 2011 ATP Ranking: 43

Copil FastFacts:
2011 Highlights:
YTD W-L: 1-1
YTD Titles: 0
Career Titles: 0
Date of Birth: October 17, 1990
South African Airways 2011 ATP Ranking: 232

Semi-Central

Filippo Volandri (ITA) vs (3) Marcel Granollers (ESP)  Granollers Leads 2-1
10 Bucharest (Romania) Clay R16 Marcel Granollers 4-6 7-5 6-1
11 Belgrade (Serbia) Clay QF Filippo Volandri 6-2 6-4
11 Kitzbuehel (Austria) Clay R32 Marcel Granollers 6-4 6-2

Court 2

Pere Riba (ESP) vs Albert Ramos (ESP)   First ATP Meeting
Ramos Leads 4-3 in other meetings
05 Spain F17 (Spain) Clay R32 Albert Ramos 4-6 6-1 6-2
06 Spain F13 (Vic) Clay R32 Pere Riba 6-4 6-1
06 Spain F35 (Spain) Clay R32 Albert Ramos 6-2 6-4
09 Seville CH (Spain) Clay F Pere Riba 7-6(2) 6-2
10 Seville CH (Spain) Clay F Albert Ramos 6-3 3-6 7-5
11 ATP Masters 1000 Rome Q (Italy) Clay -- Pere Riba 6-0 6-4
11 San Sebastian CH (Spain) Clay F Albert Ramos 6-1 6-2

Frederico Gil (POR) vs (Q) Alessandro Giannessi (ITA)  First ATP Meeting
Other Meeting:
11 Genova CH (Italy) Clay QF Frederico Gil 7-5 6-1