Events / Ben Caudell / 10 May 2010 /

Ben Caudell looks at the first round clash between Leonardo Mayer and Julien Benneteau in Madrid and tells us why the young Argentine can come out on top aginst the experienced Frenchman.

Leonardo Mayer (ARG) v Julien Benneteau (FRA)

22 year old Leonardo Mayer of Argentina, who is currently ranked 63 in the ATP Tour World Rankings, considers clay courts as his favourite surface. His forehand is his biggest strength and if it's firing he can give players ranked above him a real run for their money.

Unlike most clay court specialists, who play the majority of the tennis calendar on the red dirt with vey little success on other surfaces, Mayer has managed to adapt his game better than most and is no mug on hard court, and even grass.

In fact the 6ft 2 Buenos Aires resident already has one win to his name against today's opponent Julien Benneteau which was played on the Eastbourne Grass courts, a surface more suited to the Frenchman's serve, volley, and chip-and-charge game.

Although their only other meeting ended with Benneteau winning in three sets on the Sydney hard courts earlier this year, the Frenchman's style of play is less matched to the slower and more demanding clay courts. This was highlighted just two weeks ago when Benneteau was outplayed and outclassed by Filippo Volandri 6-2 6-0 in the second round of the Rome Masters.

Currently 3-7 in all matches and 5-5 on clay, Benneteau is in need of a win to regain some sort of confidence before the start of the French Open. This will be a tough ask against a player who made it through four rounds of the French Open in 2009 -three of them qualifying rounds - before losing to Tommy Haas in a five set epic.

I believe that Benneteau's state of mind is a little fragile at the moment, especially after his hiding in Rome so I'll be backing Mayer to win this one, although he may well need three sets to close the deal.

Selection: Back Leonardo Mayer @ [1.70] to win match

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