2011 Highlights:
QF: Bangkok (l Monfils)
YTD W-L: 20-22 (11-13 on hard)
YTD Titles: 0/Career Titles: 1
Date of Birth: July 23, 1981
South African Airways 2011 ATP Ranking: 73
• Nieminen, 30, enters his first ATP World Tour semi-final since last year here (l. to Mayer) with a 20-22 match record on the season (11-13 on hard)…His previous best result was the quarter-finals in Bangkok three weeks ago (l. to Monfils)
• The top player from Finland has a 21-11 career match record in Stockholm and he’s in the semi-finals for the fifth time, second year in a row…He was runner-up in 2001 (l. to Schalken) and ’06 (l. to Blake) and a semi-finalist in ’08 (l. to Nalbandian) along with last year
• He lost in the first round in all four Grand Slam tournaments for the first time in his career, all to
Top 20 Spanish foes -- No. 7 Ferrer (AO, RG), No. 15 Almagro (Wimb.) and No. 19 Verdasco (USO)
• He is trying to reach his 11th career ATP World Tour final (1-9) and his last title match came last year in Bangkok (l. to Garcia-Lopez)…His lone title came in Auckland in January 2006 (d. Ancic)
2011 Highlights:
F: Washington (l Stepanek); SF: San Jose (W/O vs Raonic); Halle (l Kohlschreiber); Bangkok (l Young); QF: Barcelona (l Nadal); Roland Garros (l Federer); Hamburg (l Simon); ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Montreal (l Djokovic); ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Cincinnati (l Djokovic)
YTD W-L: 34-14 (18-6 on hard)
YTD Titles: 0
Career Titles: 3
Date of Birth: September 1, 1986
South African Airways 2011 ATP Ranking: 10
• Monfils, 25, the No. 2 Frenchman (behind No. 9 Tsonga), is appearing in his fifth semi-final of the season with a 34-14 match record (18-5 on hard)…This is his Stockholm debut
• He’s the only player in the current Top 15 without an ATP World Tour title this season
• The Frenchman reached the semi-finals in Bangkok three weeks ago (l. to Young in third set TB) but then withdrew from Beijing and Shanghai due to a knee injury
• During the North American summer circuit, he reached the final in Washington (l. to Stepanek), his first in U.S., and back-to-back quarter-finals at ATP Masters 1000 tourn. in Montreal and Cincinnati (l. to Djokovic both times)…Then lost in 2nd Rd. at US Open (l. to Ferrero in five sets)
• His previous best results were the semi-finals in San Jose in February when he withdrew (vs. Raonic) due to a left wrist injury (sidelined for two months) and in Halle on grass in June (l. to eventual champ Kohlschreiber)
• He is trying to reach his 15th career ATP World Tour final (3-11 record) and his last title came on Oct. 31, 2010 in Montpellier, France (d. Ljubicic)
• The last Frenchman to reach the Stockholm final was Arnaud Boetsch in 1995 (l. to Enqvist) and last French winner here was Henri Leconte in 1982 (d. Wilander)
• Parted ways with Aussie coach Roger Rasheed after Wimbledon 3rd Rd. loss (here with Patrick Chamagne)
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