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Paris heroes face duel
Doha, Dec 29: Yevgeny Kafelnikov and Mikhail Youzhny, two of the three heroes of Russia`s Davis Cup triumph, may find themselves changing from history-making teammates into quarter-final antagonists only a couple of matches into the new season at the ATP Qatar Open next week.
Doha, Dec 29: Yevgeny Kafelnikov and Mikhail Youzhny, two of the three heroes of Russia's Davis Cup triumph, may find themselves changing from history-making
teammates into quarter-final antagonists only a couple of
matches into the new season at the ATP Qatar Open next week.
Youzhny, the 20-year-old sensation of last month's final at Bercy in Paris, has been seeded sixth, with a draw which should see him face former French Open champion Kafelnikov in
the quarter-finals of the one-million-dollar event.
Kafelnikov, who almost quit the tour after doing much to get Russia to the final and then standing down for Youzhny in the deciding Davis Cup rubber, has been seeded fourth as he tries to regenerate his career just one more time. Youzhny, who was transformed from an unknown to world-wide name after recovering from two sets down against Paul-Henri Mathieu, will be seeking to begin a climb into the world's top 20 for the first time.
Still buoyed with the thrill of helping their country to its first ever Davis Cup success, neither Russian will find it easy if they do have to face each other, but there is a worse draw still for the top-seeded Roger Federer.
The hugely-talented Swiss player is possibly good enough to mount a challenge to lleyton Hewitt's top spot during 2003, but his first match of the new season has landed him a meeting with the highest unseeded player in the draw, Jan-Michael Gambill.
Bureau Report
Kafelnikov, who almost quit the tour after doing much to get Russia to the final and then standing down for Youzhny in the deciding Davis Cup rubber, has been seeded fourth as he tries to regenerate his career just one more time. Youzhny, who was transformed from an unknown to world-wide name after recovering from two sets down against Paul-Henri Mathieu, will be seeking to begin a climb into the world's top 20 for the first time.
Still buoyed with the thrill of helping their country to its first ever Davis Cup success, neither Russian will find it easy if they do have to face each other, but there is a worse draw still for the top-seeded Roger Federer.
The hugely-talented Swiss player is possibly good enough to mount a challenge to lleyton Hewitt's top spot during 2003, but his first match of the new season has landed him a meeting with the highest unseeded player in the draw, Jan-Michael Gambill.
Bureau Report