Second seed Mardy Fish kicks off his Open 13 campaign in Marseille against qualifier Albano Olivetti on Thursday night.
Fish has rarely played the European indoor swing in the past, usually opting to compete in the States at this time of year. It'll be interesting to see how he fares this week as the surface should suit him down to the ground with his cannon of a serve and deft touch around the net.
It's a strong field and the American has a reasonable draw with Michael Llodra or Alex Dolgopolov probably awaiting in the quarters if he gets through.
This is a great opener for him as 20 year old Olivetti is ranked 388 in the world and lost in the first round of a challenger last week. However against all the odds he battled his way through three rounds of qualifying over the weekend, saving match point in his final round clash with compatriot Romain Jouan. He then took out Germany's Matthias Bachinger 6-4, 6-3 in the first round to the delight of the home crowd to earn his chance in the spotlight.
However his only real chance today will come if Fish turns in a shaky display on the surface after a week training and competing on clay for the Davis Cup. That though was over a week ago and the second seed should be accustomed to the conditions by now.
Prediction: Fish in two.
