Murray, Nalbandian set for second-round showdown

Murray, Nalbandian set for second-round showdown Andy Murray will have his work cut out for him as he tries to bounce back from an early loss in Montreal. The Scot is set to contest his Cincinnati opener against David Nalbandian on Wednesday.

Andy Murray and David Nalbandian will be squaring off for the fifth time in their careers when they do battle in the second round of the Western & Southern Open on Wednesday afternoon. The head-to-head series is tied up at two wins apiece, but Murray took both of last year's encounters. The Scot prevailed 6-2, 6-2 at the Canada Masters and 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 at the Paris Masters. Nalbandian last defeated Murray in the quarterfinals of the 2008 Paris Masters.

At the moment, it's hard to expect what to get from either man. Murray has endured an up-and-down 2011 campaign in which surprising early exits have not been out of the ordinary. In fact, he dropped his Montreal opener to Kevin Anderson last week. Still, the world No. 4 owns a 29-10 record for the season and returns to a site where he is a former champion (Murray won Cincinnati in 2008).

Nalbandian remains a force when 100 percent, but physical issues have derailed the latter stages of his career. The 66th-ranked Argentine is a decent 14-8 for the year following a solid first-round victory over Kei Nishikori on Monday. Nalbandian is looking to bounce back from losing his openers in both Washington and Montreal.

Both men are question marks right now, so this could go either way. Nalbandian, though, is a streaky player and he is certainly not in the midst of a hot streak.