Stanislas Wawrinka takes on the feisty Nikolay Davydenko in a tough second round clash at the BNP Paribas Open.
After spending many years firmly entrenched in the top ten, it feels slightly strange to see Davydenko unseeded in such a big event. The Russian has still not regained his form after breaking his wrist last year. He started 2011 strongly, beating Rafa Nadal en route to the Doha final but has since lost five of his seven matches.
Wawrinka was on fire in January, winning Chennai and reaching the Australian Open quarters. The Swiss number two is determined to break back into the top ten but he lost his way a little in February. Opting to head to South America for a couple of clay-court events proved slightly unwise and he will be hoping to get back on track this week.
He looked extremely sharp in yesterday's doubles with Roger Federer as they thrashed the second seeds 6-1, 6-2. Davydenko already has a match under his belt but did not look particularly impressive, needing three sets to see off Fabio Fognini.
The Russian has one of the best returns of serve in the game and he will need to return well today as Wawrinka has a very underrated serve, backed up by a world class backhand.
Prediction: Wawrinka in two
