Players Under the Microscope / Editor / 07 May 2007 /

Paul Henri Mathieu may be missing from the action in Rome this week but he is a player to watch through the rest of the clay court season - especially at the French Open at the end of May - as he starts to show signs of fulfilling his early promise.

The 25-year-old from Strasbourg is a man on the move despite his title bid in Estoril last week being cut short by an injury to his right hip, which forced him to retire during his semi-final with fellow Frenchman Richard Gasquet.

It ended a run of eight wins in a row and left him with an 18-9 win/loss record so far this year, as the world number 42 looks to climb those extra 10 places to his career best number 32.

At Estoril he also produced a third win in a row over world number six Fernando Gonzalez to claim his fourth victory of the year over a top ten player.

But the high spot so far this year came with his victory at the Casablanca event in late April when he dropped just one set on the way to the title, beating Spain's Albert Montanes 6-1 6-1 in the final.

That Casablanca win was surprisingly his first title for five years. In 2002 he won in Lyon and Moscow but until the Moroccan event, he had just a 2003 final appearance in Palermo to show for his efforts for eight years on the pro circuit.

His best effort in Masters events this year came in Miami, when he was thwarted by Britain's Andy Murray in three sets in the round of the last 16. But although missing Rome this week, he can still make a mark in the Hamburg Masters next week before starting his final build-up to Roland Garros, where he was junior champion in 2000 after beating Tommy Robredo in the final.

Mathieu is capable of living with the best. He gave France a flying start in their Davis Cup quarter-final with Russia in Moscow at the start of April by beating world number four Nikolay Davydenko in four sets, but he couldn't repeat the triumph against Marat Safin in the deciding rubber as France went down 3-2.

Since last year he has been coached by former French number one Thierry Champion, but he hasn't yet kicked on in the same way as Murray or Novak Djokovic have done despite being ATP Newcomer of the Year in 2002.

Right-hander 'Paulo's' favourite surfaces are clay and hard courts and so over the next three or four weeks, he has the chance to improve that world ranking.

He has played the last five French Opens, losing to eventual winner Rafael Nadal in 2006 in the last 32 in four sets. His best effort was in 2002 when he reached the last 16 before losing to Andre Agassi - after being two sets up.

The Frenchman has only been beaten by top-25 players in Paris. He is trading at 160 to win in the French capital this year.
Betfair punters take note - he's not a good bet for Wimbledon. He has never been beyond the second round in four visits. In fact, he has lost in the first round three times.

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