Swedish Open Site
July 8, 2024

Both the champion and finalist from last year are still in the tournament, and they are joined by a Swede and a French Open champion.

Juan Monaco and Fernando Gonzalez, who open the play on Friday, have never previously played against each other on the tour.

- He is tough and it is going to be a difficult match, the Chilean diplomatically answered when asked about his opponent.

- I am very happy about my Wild Card and will try to make better and better use of it, says Monaco, who will enter the top 100 for the first time when the new rankings are released on Monday.

Mariano Zabaleta enjoys being in B�stad where he has compiled an 8-1 record. He is also up 3-1 in the head-to-head standings against his opponent on Friday, Alberto Martin.

Robin S�derling has reached a career first quarterfinal on clay after his impressive win against Tommy Robredo on Thursday.

- The first set was probably the best tennis I have played on this surface, S�derling said after having blanked the Spaniard.

The start of the match looked more like hard court tennis, but the Swede showed that he has made progress on clay when he dispatched a fighting Robredo in the third set. S�derling will now take on Juan Ignacio Chela, who he defeated in their only previous encounter. On his way to the final in Stockholm 2003, S�derling won in straight sets against the Argentinean.

Earlier during the week, Mats Wilander said that he can almost guarantee that Rafael Nadal will win a Grand Slam tournament during his career. He has reached the quarterfinal in B�stad for the second straight year. He is still waiting for his first ATP title, but reached his first final in January.

In February, Nadal became the youngest Davis Cup player ever for Spain when he made his debut against the Czech Republic and won the deciding rubber. The clay court season was interrupted in Estoril, when he injured his foot.

- I can play but I still feel some pain, the Spaniard said.

On Friday, he will try to defeat the French Open champion Gaston Gaudio in the third match on center court.

One singles match will be played on Court Number One. Defending champion Mariano Zabaleta takes on Alberto Martin. They have played against each other four times before with Zabaleta as the winner thrice.