By Bob Stockton
Can we call Nikolay Davydenko the favorite to win the 2010 Australian Open?
The Russian saved two match points Saturday to beat world No. 2 Rafael Nadal 0-6, 7-6 (8), 6-4 and win the Qatar Open in Doha and continue his run of top form.
It appears Davydenko still hasn’t cooled off since winning the biggest title of his career at the end of the 2009 season, winning the year-end ATP World Tour Finals in London in late November. In London, the Russian registered wins over the world’s No. 1, No. 2 and No. 5 players, defeating the No. 2 ranked Nadal 6-1, 7-6(4) in round-robin play, while he topped world No. 1 Roger Federer 6-2, 4-6, 7-5 in the semifinals and Juan Martin del Potro 6-3, 6-4 in the final.
Since it is the first major of the season – and played in only the third week of the year – the Australian Open traditionally features unpredictable runs from players not used to playing major finals due to some top players not being in the best of shape after the off-season. For example, Thomas Johansson won the title in 2002 and Petr Korda took the title in 1998. Unforseen finalists through the years include Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in 2008, Fernando Gonzalez in 2007, Marcos Baghdatis in 2006, Rainer Schuettler in 2003, Arnaud Clement in 2001 and Thomas Enqvist in 1999,
Will Davydenko fill this role in 2010?
Marat Safin and Yevgeny Kafelnikov are the only Russian men to win major singles titles – Kafelnikov bagging the 1996 French Open and the 1999 Australian Open, while Safin won the 2000 US Open and the 2005 Australian Open. Davydenko has never reached a major singles final.
Against Nadal, Davydenko led 4-1 in the second-set tiebreaker but unforced errors allowed Nadal to twice serve for the match. However, the second-ranked Spaniard sprayed his returns wide, and Davydenko broke two times to Nadal’s one in the decider to close it out.
Davydenko, ranked No. 6, has won three straight matches against Nadal and improved his record against the Spanish lefty to 5-4.
“I did not come here expecting to win. I am surprised that I have won,” Davydenko said. “It is an amazing feeling to have won here. I have played semifinals and finals here but never won.”