Analysis for Stakhovsky-Korolev (ATP St.Petersburg)

Head-to-head record 1:1

Ukrainian qualifier Sergyi Stakhovsky will face Russian Evgeny Korolev in the opening round in St Petersburg. Evgeny Korolev is an offensive baseliner with knock out power off both wings. Korolev has a very solid and compact backhand that can generate clean winners from anywhere on the court and also his best shot when defending and getting himself back into rallies, however his forehand, although the more erratic and unreliable wing, can generate unbelievable power. Despite the power of the backhand, Korolev has a more pacey forehand, however, he makes a lot of errors off that wing. Korolev also gets minor criticisms for being one dimensional, however, has amazing drop shots and drive volleys off both the forehand and backhand sides. His overheads are also reliable and he possesses a bomb of a first serve. The second serve can also be a weakness, based on the fact that he tends to rush. His YTD results are not ideal, however, he lately reached four straight quarterfinals in Metz losing to Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-1 6-3, in Mons losingto Sergyi Stakhovsky, in Thailand Open losing to eventual champion Gilles Simon after defeating Fabrice Santoro and Robby Ginepri and in 2009 Kremlin Cup losing to Illya Marchenko 0-6 6-2 6-3 after defeating compatriots Igor Kunitsyn and Marat Safin. These latest results are kind of solid but even in this run, he was defeated by Stakhovsky- He is now going to meet him again. Ukrainian turned professional in 2003 and had been playing mostly at the Challenger level from 2005-2008. His career high in singles is number 74 (November, 2008). He won his first career title in 2008, as a lucky loser ranked 209, defeating number 1 seed Ivan Ljubicic in the final. He is coming off the solid challenger run and played solid tennis last week in Moscow. Overall, Stakhovsky looks to hit players off the court with his immense ground strokes and extremely powerful shot making. He is a solid player and even if he is a lower ranked player than Korolev, he is a slight favourite for us. With qualifying matches under the belt, he should be competitive again. Odds above 1.8 are fine for us.