Jurgen Melzer begins his campaign at the Legg Mason Classic against Donald Young.
With the late withdrawals of Mardy Fish and Andy Roddick, the Legg Mason Classic has been left bereft of any real star names but in a strange way that could actually make this week’s action far more exciting.
It’s still one of the strongest post-Wimbledon fields and with no one really stamping a foot of authority down at the moment there’s an air of unpredictability which disappears all too quickly when the top four enter the fray.
Melzer, the fourth seed, has as much a chance as anyone of prevailing this week. True, doubles appears to have taken over to the expense of his singles career this season but there’s still been a few standout results every so often – those wins over Federer and Almagro in Monte Carlo.
He badly needs to start performing over the next month otherwise his place in the top 30 will soon be in jeopardy. He’s got a decent section of the draw here and will be strong favourite against Young, who he has beaten twice in straight sets in the past.
It’s been a bit of a chastening month for Young who suffered the ignominy of losing first round in a challenger a few weeks ago. However he got back on track with a comfortable first round win over a qualifier a couple of days ago.
