Roddick v Fish in Opener at ATP Memphis

Posted on February 20, 2006

Andy Roddick will try and make a distant memory of his surprising loss to 18-year-old Andy Murray, the Brit-Scot that was ranked outside the Top 50 last week at San Jose, when he takes to the court as the top seed this week at the ATP stop in Memphis with the ridiculously-long sponsor name "The Regions Morgan Keegan Championships & The Cellular South Cup" (just call it TRMKCTCSC for short).

Roddick will open with a battle of former junior roomates when he faces wildcarded buddy Mardy Fish, who has struggled mightily in his effort to come back after two wrist surgeries.

Roddick is joined among the seeds by Germans Nicolas Kiefer and Tommy Haas, Americans Robby Ginepri and James Blake, Spaniard Tommy Robredo, Belarus' Max "The Beast" Mirnyi, and Belgian Xavier "X-Man" Malisse.

Other opening-round matches to watch for are Russian Dmitry Tursunov trying to extend (4) Ginepri's poor start to the year, (5) Blake vs. underrated Belgian Kristof Vliegen, (WC) Scoville Jenkins vs. Paul Goldstein in an all-American, (7) The Beast vs. resurgent Swede Robin Soderling, Andy Murray vs. Rainer Schuettler, and (2) Kiefer vs. Jonas Bjorkman.

Mark Philippoussis pulled from the event with a bad back.

In last year's final the unseeded Kenneth Carlsen beat the No. 8-seeded Beast 7-5, 7-5.

Returning champs in this year's field are Carlsen (2005), Roddick (2002), and Haas (1999).

Scheduled for Monday are (Q) Capdeville vs. (3) Robredo, Phau vs. (8) Malisse, (LL) Luczak vs. Carlsen, and Garcia-Lopez vs. Saulnier.