BMW Open Tennis Players

Mikhail Youzhny

Mikhail Youzhny is known for his consistency and intelligence on court, and since turning pro in 1999 he has had relative success. He reached a peak in form in 2004, when he won 42 matches and finished the year in the top 20.

At the 2006 US Open the young Russian proved to his detractors that he could take on and beat some of the best players on circuit. He defeated Tommy Robredo in three sets in the fourth round and then went on to do the near impossible and beat current world number two, Rafael Nadal 6-3, 5-7, 7-6(5), 6-1 in the quarterfinal. Sadly, his run of form was nipped in the bud by the power and experience of Andy Roddick in the semis.

Youzhny began 2007 as the second-highest ranked Russian in the world, behind Nikolay Davydenko. He claimed his third ATP title in Rotterdam and at the Dubai Championship he again defeated the second-seeded Nadal in the quarters only to succumb to the awesome ability of Roger Federer in the semi-final.

Youzhny made a strong return to form at Munich when he reached the final of the BMW Open, only to be beaten by crowd favourite, Philipp Kohlschreiber. He is looking strong going into 2008, and after reaching the third round of the Canadian Masters he made his top 10 debut and is currently ranked number 18 on the ATP World Rankings.

Tomas Berdych

Czech Tomas Berdych is definitely one of the young tennis stars of the future. The 22-year-old has impressed since he turned pro in 2002, and at the 2004 Athens Olympics he caused waves, rather than ripples, when he defeated world number one, Roger Federer.

At the 2005 Paris Masters he ripped through the top seeds to claim his first ATP Masters Series title. Outstanding players like Juan Carlos Ferrero, Gaston Gaudio, Radek Stepanek and Ivan Ljubicic fell to the cunning and skill of the young Czech.

This BMW Open tennis player enhanced his growing reputation even further when he knocked Rafael Nadal, the current no.2 in the world, out of the 2005 Cincinnati Masters in the first round, and then went on to repeat the upset later in the year, at the Canada Masters where he beat Nadal 6-1, 3-6, 6-2.

In 2006 he earned his reputation as giant slayer, when he reached the semi-finals of the Masters Series Tournament in Madrid. En route he defeated former world no.1, Andy Roddick and the number two in the world, Rafael Nadal, yet again.

Nadal managed to regain a bit of credibility in 2007 when he beat Berdych in the semis at the Monte Carlo Masters and in the quarterfinals of Wimbledon.

Currently ranked number 11 in the world, Berdych is the first player to have defeated both the number one and two in the world. (Novak Dokovic and David Nalbandian are the other men to have achieved this considerable feat.)

Berdych was seeded second for the 2007 BMW Open but he did not quite reach his potential when he was beaten by third seed, Mikhail Youzhny in the semi-finals 6-4, 6-3.

Berdych is clearly in scintillating form, his Grand Slam results speak for themselves:

He reached the fourth round of the Australian Open in 2007
He had a fourth round finish in the 2006 French Open
At Wimbledon he reached the quarters in 2007
He reached the fourth round of the US Open in 2004, 2006 & 2007

Tomas Berdych’s star is on the rise, and if his current form is anything to go by, this BMW Open tennis player will be a very tough contender at the 2008 event.

Share and Enjoy: These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.