Tennis: Groundhog play for Kiwis

After losing the first set, Spaniard Tommy Robredo proved too good at the Heineken Open yesterday. Photo / Sarah Ivey

Predicting the future isn't anywhere near as hard as it's cracked up to be.

Take Monday, January 9, 2012 for instance. It's 364 days away and yet it's already possible to foretell some of the day's happenings with a good degree of confidence. You could safely lay a sizeable wager now, for instance, that the nation's top-ranked men's tennis player will turn in a gutsy, encouraging and, ultimately, losing effort on the opening day of the Heineken Open.

He will almost certainly break his more illustrious opponent's serve early and cling on to take the first set. He will begin to fold early in second set, by the third it will be a procession.

Lessons will have been learned, valuable experience banked, positive hopes will be expressed and 12 months later we'll do it all again.

Such is the Groundhog Year cycle in which men's professional tennis in this country finds itself firmly mired.

"I gotta be pleased I guess - I got a set," said Michael Venus, after his noteworthy loss to Tommy Robredo. The nation's top-ranked male at 330, Venus was in the tournament by virtue of a wildcard. It was his shot at the big time and he almost grabbed it, just as recent predecessors Dan King-Turner and Rubin Statham have almost converted their chances in past years.

Chalk up Venus's solid effort alongside those of King-Turner's brave defeat to Juan Monaco a couple of years back, or Statham's bold showing against Albert Montanes last year.

"Obviously, I would have liked to have won the match but that didn't happen," Venus said after a 7-6 (8-6), 3-6, 0-6 defeat to the former world No 5.

"I thought I learned a few things out there so, hopefully, I can work on that. I feel like that showed me that I can play with these guys and it definitely showed me some things I need to work on. It is pretty positive that I have got those weaknesses but I was still able to compete hard."

Compete he did, riding his cannon serve to a 3-0 start, blowing two set points and then fighting back from 1-5 down in the tiebreak to claim the opening set.

But that was as good as it got. A rash of errors handed Robredo a break in the fourth game of the second set. The Spaniard served out the set with ease and then mopped up the rapidly dimming Venus in mercifully quick fashion in the third, dropping just five points in the set.

Statham turned in a similarly meritorious effort, taking the first set off 72nd-ranked Pere Riba in a final round qualifying match. Statham doesn't posses any huge weapons but he was near flawless as he stunned Riba 6-4 in the opener.

But Statham has succumbed to the NZ tennis groundhog before, so it was no surprise when he folded while serving to stay in the second set at 4-5. Riba accepted his chance and never granted Statham another, taking the third 6-3 in routine fashion.

As one pundit remarked, if you added Venus's serve to Statham's all court game you would have a pretty decent player. A better, if impractical, solution would be to put Robredo's canny head on both players' shoulders. The Kiwis may have holes in their game, but they almost certainly have bigger issues between their ears.

Statham rounded out his day by revealing during an interview he wasn't happy working with Davis Cup captain and national coach Marcel Vos. Statham prefers to do things his way, with a coach of his own choosing.

Fair enough, but it's not like he's been sky-rocketing up the rankings of late.

The feature match today sees former Wimbledon finalist David Nalbandian take on Italian Fabio Fognini. Last year's beaten finalist Arnaud Clement plays Belgian Xavier Malisse in the headline match of the evening session.