Analysis for Haas-O.Rochus (ATP Monte Carlo)

Head-to-head record 3:0

Oli Rochus, the experienced qualifier from Belgium will play his Nemesis German Tommy Haas in the opening round of Monte Carlo Masters Series. Haas is 3-0 up in their head-to-head record but all of these matches were played on hard surface and 2 of them were played in 2007 which was a nightmare season for Olivier Rochus. He seems to be back in the game and is now playing in much better shape than last year. Last week, he wasn’t far from beating Federer in the opening round at Estoril Open and also advanced through the qualifiers here in Monte Carlo beating solid clay court players Mayer and Montanes. At 1.65m he is the shortest player on the ATP Tour but he is surprisingly the versatile player with well-placed serve which is not easy to break. He has already achieved good results across all surfaces and should feel well on dirt. He will face Tommy Haas who has an all-court playing style as well. He is seen as an intense and emotional player, sometimes having outbursts on the court by muttering at himself or at his coaches, or even off the court. His performance often depends on actual mood and self confidence. He is a top player without any doubts but his current form is at least questionable. He lost to Kunitsyn in the first round at Houston last week and we think that even slower clay in Europe will not suit him. He prefers hard courts and lacks match practice on dirt this year. Better prepared Rochus has solid chance to make the first victory over Haas. Odds around 2 are worth trying here.