Davydenko to meet Canas at French Open
It's the battle of the thin man against the third man at the French Open.
In a tournament where players not called either Federer or Nadal have been playing a supporting role, Nikolay Davydenko and Guillermo Canas are determined to claim their share of the Roland Garros spotlight.
But they'll have different reasons for doing so when they meet in the quarter-finals here on Tuesday.
Davydenko, the gaunt, lightweight Russian, who looks more like a bank clerk with an inclination for a weekend mixed doubles rather than a seasoned tennis pro, wants to prove there's more to Russian tennis than Marat Safin and Maria Sharapova.
Canas, the dogged Argentinian, is fired up by his bristling sense of injustice over a 15-month doping ban which sent his world ranking plummeting to 514 and his career into freefall.
Tuesday's winner will face Federer, who should overcome Tommy Robredo, in Friday's semi-finals.
Davydenko was a semi-finalist in 2005 where he lost in five sets to Mariano Puerta.
The Argentinian later failed a drugs test and was banned for eight years, reduced on appeal to two.
"I don't think it was because of doping he beat me," said Davydenko.
"He was strong and I remember that in the fourth and fifth sets I couldn't move. It's not that I can say, 'if he didn't take doping, I would win'."
Of more concern to the 26-year-old Russian is his stamina.
At just 70kg, he is one of the lightest men on the tour but his frail appearance has not hampered a man who is the fourth seed and is playing in his third French Open quarter-final.
If he needs to run and run, that's exactly what he'll do, even if the prospect fills him with dread
"I need to win in three sets. I can't play five sets all the time. Look at me, I'm only 70kg. If I keep playing five-set matches, I'll be 40kg."
Canas has been dubbed 'The Third Man' by the South American press, reflecting their belief that he is, behind Federer and Nadal, the most likely winner.
"I feel as if I am playing my best tennis at the moment," said Canas who is playing his first Grand Slam tournament since his drug ban ended.
He is also in Federer's half of the draw which is not good news for the world number one who suffered two of his four defeats in 2007 at the hands of Canas in back-to-back Masters events at Indian Wells and in Miami in March.
"It's quite natural that the press focus on Federer and Nadal," said the 29-year-old who, like his Russian opponent, is also in his third quarter-final here.
"But we are dealing with a tennis tournament - anything can happen."
AFP
