MOSELLE OPEN: DAY 3 MEDIA NOTES Wednesday, September 21, 2016 Les Arénes de Metz, Metz, France | September 19-25, 2016 Draw: S-28, D-16 | Prize Money: €463,520 | Surface: Indoor Hard ATP World Tour Info Tournament Info ATP PR & Marketing www.ATPWorldTour.com www.Moselle-Open.com Stephanie Natal: [email protected] Twitter: @ATPWorldTour Twitter: @MoselleOpen Press Room: +33 372 60 5850 Facebook: @ATPWorldTour Facebook: @MoselleOpen THIEM MAKES DEBUT, ROBREDO RETURNS TO ACTION DAY 3 PREVIEW: There are five remaining first round matches and three second round matches on Wednesday’s schedule at the Moselle Open. Leading the way is top seed Dominic Thiem, who makes his tournament debut and 2007 champion Tommy Robredo, who returns from an elbow injury which has sidelined him from the ATP World Tour since March. In the opening match on Court Patrice Dominguez, German Davis Cup hero Jan-Lennard Struff takes on Robredo in a first round match. Struff won the fifth and decisive match Sunday over Poland’s Hurkacz to lift Germany to a 3-2 Davis Cup win and into the World Group next year. Struff advanced to the semi-finals here two years ago in his previous Metz appearance. Robredo is 9-2 in Metz and he won the title in 2007 (d. No. 18 Murray). He also was a quarter-finalist in 2003 and in his last visit in 2010. Robredo underwent right elbow surgery on April 27 in Barcelona and has not played on the ATP World Tour since Dubai in late February due to the elbow injury. He returned two weeks ago at the Genova ITA Challenger and lost in 1R (l. to Gabashvili). In the next match on, wild card Julien Benneteau and German Dustin Brown square off for the first time with the winner advancing to a first quarter-final in Metz. Brown is a career-high No. 68 in the Emirates ATP Rankings this week after reaching the final at the Szczecin, POL Challenger on Sunday. Brown is trying to reach his fourth ATP World Tour quarter-final this year. Benneteau is looking to advance to his second ATP World Tour quarter-final of the season after a QF showing in Los Cabos last month. In the third match on, No. 8 seed Nicolas Mahut meets countryman and wild card Quentin Halys for the first time. This is a first round match. Mahut is playing in Metz for the 11th straight year and 13th time in 14 years (except 2005). His best result is a semi-final in 2007 and 2013. Halys, who is a member of the ATP World Tour’s #Next Generation of young stars ranked in the Top 200, is making his tournament debut. The 19-year-old Halys is ranked No. 154 and 18-15 on the ATP Challenger Tour this season with a title. In the evening session, top seed and World No. 10 Thiem takes on German qualifier Peter Gojowczyk, who won the previous meeting 75 60 in the 1R of Doha in 2014. This is a second round meeting. Thiem is trying to earn one of the five remaining spots for the season-ending Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London. He is 7th in the Emirates ATP Race to London with a 52-17 match record and four ATP World Tour titles this season. Gojowczyk is 1-4 lifetime vs. Top 10 opponents and his lone win came over No. 9 Raonic in the 2R of Halle in June 2014. That was also his last ATP World Tour quarter-final. In the final match on, qualifier Nikoloz Basilashvili of Georgia plays big-serving Gilles Muller of Luxembourg for the first time. This is a second round match. Basilashvili is trying to reach his second quarter-final of the season. His maiden ATP World Tour final came in Kitzbuehel in July. Muller, a semi- finalist in Metz in 2011, is trying to reach his seventh ATP World Tour quarter-final of the season. He’s reached two grass court finals in ‘s-Hertogenbosch and Newport. Moselle Open Day 3 – Wednesday, September 21, 2016 Page 2 of 5 www.ATPWorldTour.com FEDEX ATP HEAD 2 HEADS: DAY 3 MATCHES COURT PATRICE DOMINGUEZ Jan-Lennard Struff (GER) vs [WC] Tommy Robredo (ESP) First Meeting Struff 2016 FastFacts: QF: Kitzbühel (l Lorenzi) YTD W-L: 8-14 (2-5 on hard) YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 0 Date of Birth: April 25, 1990 Emirates ATP Ranking: 87 Metz W-L (Best Result): 3-1 (2014 Semi-finalist) • Tournament Note: Two years ago in Metz debut, defeated Lajovic, Chardy and Kohlschreiber (ret.) before losing to eventual champion Goffin • Coming off pair of Davis Cup wins over Poland’s Majchrzak in opening match and Hurkacz in fifth and deciding match to lift Germany to 3-2 victory and into next year’s World Group • Snapped 13-match tour-level losing streak by beating Mahut in Montpellier 1R (l. to Bemelmans in 2R) • Advanced to 1st ATP World Tour QF since 2014 Vienna at Kitzbühel (l. to eventual champion Lorenzi) • Qualified and lost in 1R at Monte-Carlo (l. to Thiem), Barcelona (l. to A. Zverev) and Roland Garros (l. to Tsonga) • Reached Wimbledon 2R in doubles with countryman Brown as Q (l. to Marray/Shamasdin) • Swept Alphen aan den Rijn, NED Challenger titles in singles (d. Haase) and doubles w/Masur (d. Haase/Westerhof) • Also advanced to Challenger singles finals at Heilbronn, GER (l. to Basilashvili) and Furth, GER (l. to Albot) Robredo 2016 FastFacts: YTD W-L: 2-4 (2-4 on hard) YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 12 Date of Birth: May 1, 1982 Emirates ATP Ranking: 251 Metz W-L (Best Result): 9-2 (2007 Champion) • Tournament Note: Making first tournament appearance since 2010 QF (l. to Gasquet). Won title in 2007 (d. No. 18 Murray) and also QF in 2003 (l. to Pavel) • Saved 1 MP in 75 36 46 76(7) 86 win over Jaziri in Australian Open 1R (l. to Raonic in 2R) • Also advanced to 2R at Sydney (d. Millman, l. to Troicki in 2R) • Fell to 2-7 lifetime against World No. 1 with Dubai 1R loss to Djokovic • Underwent right elbow surgery on April 27 at Clínica Mapfre de Medicina del Tenis in Barcelona • Has not played on ATP World Tour since Dubai in February due to right elbow injury • Returned two weeks ago at Genova ITA Challenger and lost in 1R (l. to Gabashvili) [WC] Julien Benneteau (FRA) vs Dustin Brown (GER) First Meeting Benneteau 2016 FastFacts QF: Los Cabos (l. to Lopez) YTD W-L: 7-12 (6-8 on hard) YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 0 Date of Birth: December 20, 1981 Emirates ATP Ranking: 238 Metz W-L (Best Result): 4-4 (2004, 2006-07, 2016 2nd Round) • Tournament Note: Opened on Monday with a 62 61 win over No. 5 seed Klizan to reach 2R for 4th time in 5 appearances, first since 2007 • Advanced to 1st ATP World Tour singles QF since 2015 Sydney at Los Cabos (l. to Lopez) • Snapped 11-match singles losing streak at Wimbledon (d. Marchenko, l. to No. 6 Nishikori) • Qualified at Marseille by beating Fabbiano and Lamasine (l. to A. Zverev in 1R) • In doubles w/Roger-Vasselin, fell to Herbert/Mahut at Wimbledon in 1st All-French Grand Slam men’s doubles final of Open Era. Defeated 4 seeded teams, including 5-set wins over Pospisil/Sock (saved 2 MPs) and J. Murray/Soares Moselle Open Day 3 – Wednesday, September 21, 2016 Page 3 of 5 www.ATPWorldTour.com • Beat Pospisil/Sock w/Roger-Vasselin then held 6 MPs in Roland Garros QF loss to Lopez/Lopez • Returned after abductor surgery and won Noumea, CAL Challenger title w/Roger-Vasselin (d. Barrere/Lamasine) • Withdrew from Sydney due to groin injury Brown 2016 FastFacts SF (2): Montpellier (l. to Gasquet); Gstaad (l. to Lopez); QF: Båstad (l. to Ferrer) YTD W-L: 12-10 (4-4 on hard) YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 0 Date of Birth: December 8, 1984 Emirates ATP Ranking: 68 (Career-High) Metz W-L (Best Result): 2-2 (2015-2016 2nd Round) • Tournament Note: Opened on Tuesday with a 64 62 win over Mathieu. Last year, defeated Ram in 3 sets before falling to No. 4 Wawrinka 76 in 3rd set • Comes in ranked a career-high No. 68 this week after reaching final at Szczecin POL Challenger on Sunday (l. to Giannessi). Has a 14-6 ATP Challenger Tour record this season • Reached 1st 2 ATP SFs at Montpellier as Q (d. Simon in 2R, l. to No. 10 Gasquet) and Gstaad (d. Bellucci in 2R after saving 2 MPs, l. to Lopez). Also advanced to Båstad QF (l. to Ferrer) • Qualified at Doha (l. to No. 1 Djokovic in 1R) and Roland Garros (d. Sela for 1st 5-set win, l. to Sock in 2R) • Won 5-setter over Lajovic as Wimbledon WC before losing 5-setter to Kyrgios in 2R • Also reached Wimbledon 2R in doubles with countryman Struff as Q (l. to Marray/Shamasdin) • Captured 7th Challenger title at Manchester, GBR (d. Lu) and reached final at Szczecin, POL (l. to Giannessi) • Retired in Rio Olympics 1R vs. Bellucci (left ankle) and withdrew from Houston and Bucharest (wrist) [8] Nicolas Mahut (FRA) vs [WC] Quentin Halys (FRA) First Meeting Mahut 2016 FastFacts: W: s-Hertogenbosch (d Muller); SF: Rotterdam (l Klizan); QF: Sydney (l Troicki) YTD W-L: 20-16 (10-10 on hard) YTD Titles: 1 / Career Titles: 4 Date of Birth: January 21, 1982 Emirates ATP Ranking: 40 Metz W-L (Best Result): 13-12 (2007, 2013 Semi-finalist) • Tournament Note: Playing in Metz for 11th straight year and 13th in last 14 years (except 2005).