Analysis for Ancic-Malisse (ATP Sydney)

Head-to-head record 1:1

Mario Ancic will play Belgian qualifier Xavier Malisse in the opening round. Mario Ancic finally seems to be fully recovered from mononucleosis playing several solid matches at the end of the last year. He plays an all-court game and is able to adapt his game to all surfaces, making him a difficult player to play regardless of the surface. Ancic also has a good serve and is capable of producing many aces in a match. On grass and faster surfaces he serves and volleys but on slower courts he is more than able to rally from the back of the court. He prefers to serve and volley rather than play baseline rallies as there are better players with a more aggressive baseline attitude that can push through Ancic. This could be a case of Xavier Malisse. He was considered to be the biggest Belgian talent ever but his career was almost ruined by various injuries. He is an inconsistent player who often had the problems with mental attitude towards the matches however, he is still a player of big potential and he now seems to be in a good form. He was impressive in qualifiers beating Gabashvili, Mannarino and Luczak all in straight sets. He proved he is back on the scene and could be very competitive against Croatian player who is currently far from his best. Odds around 2.5 are worth taking for us.