Photo: Ron C. Angle
In the first round of the China Open, Marcos has been draw to face World No. 2 and top seed Rafael Nadal in a blockbuster meeting. The Spaniard is playing his first event since reaching the semi-finals at the US Open, having been sidelined in subsequent tournaments due to an abdominal strain.
It will be a first-round battle between two former champions, with Marcos lifting the trophy at the ATP World Tour 500 tournament in 2006 and Nadal having triumphed a year earlier.
Should Marcos defeat Nadal, it does not get much easier with American James Blake a potential second round opponent. Seventh seed Fernando Gonzalez is seeded to reach the quarter-finals in the uppermost section of the draw, but former World No. 1 Marat Safin is also a threat. Fourth seed Nikolay Davydenko and No. 8 Marin Cilic make up the seeds in the top half of the draw.
Defending champion Andy Roddick is seeded third and features in the bottom half of the draw, alongside World No. 4 Novak Djokovic and Kuala Lumpur runner-up Fernando Verdasco.
Check out the full draw here.
There is no play for Marcos on Monday, stay tuned to www.baghdatis.com for the latest schedule in Beijing.
Go, Marcos!
