Simon vs. Tipsarevic at Western & Southern Open

Simon battles Tipsarevic at Western & Southern Open Two of the summer's in-form players will be battling in Cincinnati on Wednesday. Gilles Simon and Janko Tipsarevic fought through tough openers on Tuesday and are now looking for a spot in the third round.

Gilles Simon and Janko Tipsarevic will be going head-to-head for the third time in their careers when they clash in the second round of the Western & Southern Open on Wednesday. Simon has won both of their previous encounters, including a 4-6, 7-6(3), 6-2 decision earlier this year at the Miami Masters. Armed with a clean bill of health, Simon has been in daunting form this season. The 12th-ranked Frenchman owns a 31-18 record and recently captured a 500-point title on the clay courts of Hamburg. Simon dropped his Montreal opener to Philipp Petzschner last week, but he appeared to bounce back on Tuesday in Cincinnati with a 6-7(3), 6-3, 7-5 victory over Jurgen Melzer.

Tipsarevic is up to a career-high ranking of No. 20 in the world thanks to his run to the Montreal semifinals. The Serb is now 35-17 for his 2011 campaign and he just barely managed to keep up the momentum with a 6-0, 3-6, 7-6(5) win over Edouard Roger-Vasselin on Tuesday.

Although he scraped past the French qualifier, Tipsarevic seemed to be hobbled with a minor foot problem that required multiple medical timeouts. He will have to be 100 percent to have a chance against Simon, who is one of the most consistent players on tour and will keep ball after ball in play.

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