The players involvedNikolay Davydenko and Dominic Hrbati
- Nikolay Davydenko. a Russian ball machine that was a top 5 player
Nikolai Davydenko was born in 1981 in Russia (then USSR). He turned pro in 1999 and broke into the top 100 in late 2001. He won his first ATP title in January 2003 in Adelaide (defeating Christoph Vliegen 6–2, 7–6 in the final). That same year, he broke into the top 50 after winning his second tournament in Estoril (defeating Agustín Calleri in the final, 6-4, 6-3). In 2004, he added two more titles to his list of achievements, including the prestigious Kremlin Cup (where he defeated Greg Rusedski 3-6, 6-3, 7-5).
Davydenko finished the year as world No. 28, but his breakthrough season came at a high level in 2005. He reached the quarterfinals that year. Australian Open (lost to Andy Roddick, 6-3, 7-5, 4-1, replay) and semifinals at Roland Garros (lost to Mariano Puerta, 6-3, 5-7, 2-6, 6-4, 6-4). He qualified for the Masters Cup, but lost to David Nalbandian 6-0, 7-5 in the semifinals and finished the year ranked world No. 5.
The Russian remained in that position for almost a year and had a solid 2006 season in which he won five titles (including a second Kremlin Cup, defeating Russia’s Marat Safin 6–4, 5–7, 6–4 in the final), reached the quarterfinals of both the Australian Open and the Australian Open. Roland Garrosand reached the final four at the US Open (lost to Roger Federer: 6-1, 7-5, 6-4). Davydenko played at a very fast pace and took the ball up. His consistency in this style of play earned him the nickname “ball machine” by Tommy Haas.
- Dominic Hrbati. the ruler from Slovakia
Dominic HrabatiFrom Slovakia, born in 1978. Nicknamed “The Dominator,” he turned professional in 1996 and was named ATP Rookie of the Year after rising from world No. 315 to No. 78 in 12 months. He won his first title in 1998 in San Marino, defeating Mariano Puerta (6-2, 7-5) in the final. In 1999, he had his best Grand Slam performance at Roland Garros, where he reached the semifinals, but lost to Andre Agassi (6-4, 7-6, 3-6, 6-4).
In 2004, he started the year by winning his first two tournaments of the season, Adelaide (defeating Michael Llodra, 6-4, 6-0) and Auckland (defeating Rafael Nadal, 4-6, 6-2, 7-5). He then played the third tournament in Marseille (defeating Robin Soderling 4-6, 6-4, 6-4). upon arrival US Open: in the quarterfinals (lost to Tim Henman, 6–1, 7–5, 5–7, 6–2), he rose to world No. 12, his highest ranking yet. In 2005, together with Karol Beck and Karol Kucera, he led the Slovakian team to the Davis Cup final. Although Hrbati won both of his singles matches against Mario Ancic and Ivan Ljubicic, his team lost 3-2 to Croatia. In November 2006, he was ranked 27th in the ATP rankings.
The placeParis Bercy, France
It Paris-Berce Indoor Open Championship was founded in 1986. Held each year in early November, it was usually the last tournament on the tour before the Masters Cup and Dais Cup finals. One of the world’s most prestigious indoor events, it became part of the Super 9 category (the former Masters 1000) in 1990. Past champions include legends such as Boris Becker (1986, 1989, 1992), Andre Agassi (1994, 1999, 1959), Sampras (1994, 1999) and the 1999 Marat Safin (2000, 2002, 2004).
The factsDavydenko needed just 90 minutes to win the best-of-five-set final
Nikolay Davydenko, who arrived in Paris as the world number 5, was 4th in the draw, but after the elimination of the top three (Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and David Nalbandian) at the last minute, the Russian became the favorite for the title. Davydenko established his status as the man to beat right from the start.
Standing on the baseline, hitting the ball on the rise towards the fairways, the world No. 5 blanked Christoph Rochus (6-0, 6-0) in the first round before crushing compatriot Dmitri Tursunov (6-2, 6-2) in the second round. In the quarterfinals, it was Mario Ancic’s turn to be kicked out of the court (6-3, 6-3).
“There’s nothing to do when he’s playing like this, except to run or maybe sit on the sidelines and watch him play,” the Croatian said. However, in the semifinals, Davydenko dropped a set against world number 7 Tommy Robredo, but easily won the decider (6-3, 5-7, 6-2).
His opponent in the final, Dominik Hrbati, exceeded expectations by reaching the final. World number 27 champion Tomas Berdych won the quarterfinals (6-4, 1-6, 6-2), and his opponent in the semifinals, Tommy Haas, left after the Slovak took the first set, 6:4.
The final was one of the most one-sided finals in the tournament’s history, and it was the shortest. Davydenko won the first five games before taking the first set 6-1. The Russian led 4-0 in the second set before winning 6-2. Hrbati managed to stay even at 2-2 in the third set, but that was as much excitement as the French crowd could witness that day. In 90 minutes, Davydenko sealed victory 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 to claim his first Masters 1000 crown.
What next? Davydenko wins two more Masters 1000 titles
In the Masters Cup, Davydenko will be eliminated in the round-robin stage. In later years, he again reached the semi-finals of the Grand Slams at Roland Garros and the US Open in 2007, but lost to Roger Federer. He would claim two more Masters 1000 crowns, one in Miami 2008 and the other in Madrid 2009, beating Rafael Nadal in both. His career would culminate at the 2009 Masters Cup, where he claimed the most important title of his career, defeating Juan Martin del Potro (6-3, 6-4) in the final. After this victory, the Russian will drop, but will remain a top 50 player until his career in 2014.
He would never reach the ATP final again on Friday. He would leave the top 100 at the end of 2007 and never return. At the end of 2010, occupying the 417th position in the ATP ranking, he will officially retire from professional tennis.