ATP Barcelona Preview: Top-seeded Safin Will Struggle with Favorite Role

Top-seeded Marat Safin will be tested by a bevy of claycourt talent this week at the ATP stop in Barcelona, where all eyes will be on dirt wunderkind Rafael Nadal, coming off the Masters Series title at Monte Carlo.

The Top 8 of the sixteen seeds receive byes in Barcelona, with Safin joined by current French Open holder Gaston Gaudio, former French winner Carlos Moya, last year's French runner-up Guillermo Coria, Guillermo Canas, Tommy Robredo, Nikolay Davydenko and Nadal.

Opening-round matches of note are the clay-challenged (15) Paradorn Srichaphan vs. Dane Kenneth Carlsen, French teen qualifier Gael Monfils vs. Argentine Agustin Calleri, (14) Juan Ignacio Chela vs. Spanish qualifier Albert Portas, (9) Thomas Johansson vs. grinder Stefan Koubek, (16) Igor Andreev vs. Juan Monaco, Max Mirnyi vs. former Roland Garros champ Al Costa, former No. 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero vs. Spanish countryman Al Montanes, (12) Feliciano Lopez vs. Spanish countryman Nicolas Almagro, and (13) Dave Ferrer vs. Spanish countryman Fernando Verdasco.

Potential quarterfinal match-ups are (1) Safin vs. (5) Canas, (4) Coria vs. (8) Nadal, (3) Moya vs. (7) Davydenko, and (2) Gaudio vs. (6) Robredo or Ferrero.

In last year's almost-four-hour final, the No. 8 seed Robredo outlasted the future French Open winner and No. 13 seed Gaudio 6-3, 4-6, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3.

Returning champs in this year's field are Robredo (2004), Moya (2003), Gaudio (2002), Ferrero (2001), Safin (2000), Mantilla (1999), and Costa (1997).

On court Monday in Barcelona are Koubek vs. (9) T.Johansson, Max Mirnyi vs. Costa, Almagro vs. (12) Feliciano Lopez in an all-Spanish, Carlsen vs. (15) Paradorn Srichaphan, Xavier Malisse vs. Kohlschreiber, (16) Andreev vs. Juan Monaco, Mantilla vs. Llodra, Acasuso vs. (WC) Vicente, Saulnier vs. Peter Wessels, (10) Dominik "The Dominator" Hrbaty vs. Haehnel, "You Say" Potito Starace vs. (Q) Gabashvili, (Q) Wawrinka vs. Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, H.-T. Lee vs. (Q) Nieminen, and (Q) Fogues vs. C.Rochus.