Verdasco Only Player Through Rain Monday at Gstaad
Posted on July 5, 2005Rain stopped almost all play at the Swiss Open in Gstaad Monday, with only one main draw match completed in Spain's Fernando Verdasco defeating qualifier Jaroslav "Popsicle" Pospisil 6-2, 6-4.
Two matches were halted in progress, with No. 6 seed Jiri Novak tied with Polito Starace 3-6, 7-6(3), and Stefan Koubek tied with Andreas Seppi 2-2.
The tournament is making due without defending champ Roger Federer.
"It's a shame not to have Roger here of course, but the fans seem to have got over it pretty quickly because our ticket sales have still been good," tournament deputy director Claudio Hermenjat told Reuters. "In fact, we haven't really seen much of a 'Federer Effect' in the years that he has played here. After his first Wimbledon win we had around 50 more spectators a day and an average of just two more last year. It seems like the Swiss have just got used to having their very own Wimbledon champion which for me is really incredible. People here don't seem to appreciate what he's achieving week in and week out."
On tap for Tuesday are (1) Davydenko vs. Sargis "Sarge" Sargsian, Andreev vs. Feliciano "F-Lo" Lopez, "You Say" Potito Starace vs. (6) Novak (to finish), (WC) Bastl vs. (2) Gaudio, (7) Massu vs. Behrend, Wawrinka vs. (8) Volandri, (3) Stepanek vs. (WC) Allegro, (WC) Lammer vs. (Q) Sabau, Koubek vs. Seppi (to finish), (5) Ljubicic vs. Ricardo Mello "Yello," Rainer "Shine" Schuettler vs. Sanguinetti, Di Mauro vs. (4) Ferrer, Hernych vs. (Q) Armando, Luis "Me So" Horna vs. Zib, and Kohlschreiber vs. (Q) Cermak.
Two matches were halted in progress, with No. 6 seed Jiri Novak tied with Polito Starace 3-6, 7-6(3), and Stefan Koubek tied with Andreas Seppi 2-2.
The tournament is making due without defending champ Roger Federer.
"It's a shame not to have Roger here of course, but the fans seem to have got over it pretty quickly because our ticket sales have still been good," tournament deputy director Claudio Hermenjat told Reuters. "In fact, we haven't really seen much of a 'Federer Effect' in the years that he has played here. After his first Wimbledon win we had around 50 more spectators a day and an average of just two more last year. It seems like the Swiss have just got used to having their very own Wimbledon champion which for me is really incredible. People here don't seem to appreciate what he's achieving week in and week out."
On tap for Tuesday are (1) Davydenko vs. Sargis "Sarge" Sargsian, Andreev vs. Feliciano "F-Lo" Lopez, "You Say" Potito Starace vs. (6) Novak (to finish), (WC) Bastl vs. (2) Gaudio, (7) Massu vs. Behrend, Wawrinka vs. (8) Volandri, (3) Stepanek vs. (WC) Allegro, (WC) Lammer vs. (Q) Sabau, Koubek vs. Seppi (to finish), (5) Ljubicic vs. Ricardo Mello "Yello," Rainer "Shine" Schuettler vs. Sanguinetti, Di Mauro vs. (4) Ferrer, Hernych vs. (Q) Armando, Luis "Me So" Horna vs. Zib, and Kohlschreiber vs. (Q) Cermak.