Xavier Malisse
Born in Kortrijk, Belgium, he is considered the biggest Belgian tennis talent on the ATP tour.
Career
Xavier Malisse turned pro in 1998. In his professional career, Malisse has reached ten finals in which he has won three: Delray Beach, 2005 and most recently, Chennai and again, Delray Beach in 2007.
Xavier Malisse and Olivier Rochus won the French Open doubles championship in 2004. His best performance in Grand Slam singles competition was at the 2002 Wimbledon championships, where he reached the semi-final, beating Britain's Greg Rusedski in five sets en route.
Malisse started the 2006 tennis season in good form, reaching the finals in Adelaide and the second round of the Australian Open beating Mikhail Youzhny in the first round and losing a five-set match to Thomas Johansson in the second round.
One of Malisse's most notable matches occurred at the 2005 U.S. In the fourth round, he was down two sets to Andre Agassi and was two points from elimination (down 5–3) in the third-set tiebreaker when he fought back to take that set.
Agassi later remarked that Malisse was "hitting winners off of both sides." This unanticipated comeback led CBS Announcer Mary Carillo to remark that Malisse is "oozing with talent." Just as it looked that Andre Agassi was tiring, Agassi came firing back, managing to take the final set 6–2. Malisse spun through the air in an attempt to get to the volley, but the ball bounced off the frame of his racket and landed way out of bounds.
Open in 2003 when he lost in three tight sets to eventual champion Andy Roddick, also in the fourth round.
Another notable match occurred in the quarter-finals of the 2006 Rogers Cup in a three-set thriller against the world number one, Roger Federer. Federer took the first set in a tiebreaker but Malisse charged back, winning the second set in another tiebreaker.
The third set was decided by one break of service, which Federer took and served out the set 6–3.