Miami – Field vs. Nadal
Miami – ATP 1000 event (2nd of the year)
1. Nadal
2. Federer
3. Djokovic
4. Murray
5. Roddick
6. Del Potro
7. Simon
8. Verdasco
9. Monfils
10. Tsonga
11. Ferrer
12. Gonzalez
13. Blake
14. Nalbandian
15. Robredo
16. Wawrinka
My Pick: Nadal
Underdog Pick: Robredo (has to go through Fed in quarters)
Nadal Quarter: The reason this is titled Field vs. Nadal is not necessarily because he’s the top player in the draw… but in my opinion of the top seeds he has by far the trickiest draw out there.
After the first round bye and a routine second round he has potentially Ivo Karlovic… who is scary for anyone. Then Stanislas Wawrinka who is certainly an up and commer and in my opinion going to finish the year in the top 10. Following that he’s got the winner between Del Potro, Cilic (who has been hot lately) and Ferrer. Nadal pretty much has his way with Del Potro but Cilic and Ferrer could certainly prove a challenge.
All that being said, I still pick Nadal to make it through to the semi’s because right now he’s clearly the best tennis player on this planet.
Now to break it down a bit more with some notes. Cilic vs. Ferrer should be a phenomenal match. Ferrer has been around for a long time and in the top 10 for most of it. Cilic has had a great start to the year winning two titles already. In head to head action this year, Cilic took David down in straights at the Aussie round of 32. I’d pick Cilic to move on…
Del Potro vs. Cilic. Interestingly in the next round Cilic and DP played, with DP winning in 4. Since then I haven’t been too impressed with DP’s results (though he has 1 title this year) and I’ll pick Cilic to take it down this time.
Del Potro has been absolutely handled by Nadal 4 times including last week, Ferrer is a lifetime 3-6 against Nadal… and Cilic has never played him. Therefore if anyone is going to take down the giant in this quarter I’m giving the best odds to Cilic.
Murray Quarter: Murray first here with his second round matchup of Mardy Fish.. Fish has the capabilities to get beat 1 and 1 by Murray and to pull an upset, who knows what he’s bringing. Nalbandian vs. Gasquet is a funny matchup, but neither of them can get past Murray. Gonzalez vs. Stepanek could be one of the most even early round matchups in the tournament. I’ll take Stepanek due to his performances so far this year, but he’s a funky looking dude who with his worm dance always bothered me…. moving on we have Lopez vs. Verdasco potentially. However Sam Querrey is in Lopez’ second round and with the great underachievement he has done my guess would be Querrey wins. Verdasco beats Querrey, and then takes on Stepanek or Gonzalez. Stepanek leads Verdasco 3-1 lifetime… however Verdasco routed Radek only dropping 4 games in 3 sets at the Aussie open this year. Very tough call but I’ll pick Stepanek to make it through and on to Murray.
Without an injury plain old wimpy withdrawl or effort… Murray makes it through
Djokovic Quarter: Baghdatis vs. Mathieu should be interesting with the winner losing to Djokovic. Like most tennis fans, hoping Baghdatis can regain some of his lost form, though this probably isn’t going to be the tournament for it. Blake takes on Benneteau and then Youzhny/Berdych. Blake is the most talented of that group but as I’ve said multiple times his game is like playing Russian Roullette, so who knows who comes out of that.
Tsonga and Simon have easy draws until they play each other in the round of 16. You may see Simon vs. Hewitt in the second round and think that Simon is in for an upset, but Hewitt has done literally NOTHING recently. I kept waiting for him to come back and he simply isn’t… so I’m done waiting. Simon and Tsonga have played only once professionally with Simon winning in a third set TB! I’ll pick Tsonga to win on the fact that he has two titles already this year and has to have some added confidence from that. Tsonga then takes on Djokovic, and Tsonga has won their last 4 meetings (3 in ’08 and Marseille this year!). Tough not to pick Tsonga to move on.
Federer Quarter: This is not the quarter Federer was hoping to see. I’m hoping Fabrice Santoro can take down Kiefer (and he can…) to meet Fed in the second round. Robredo is going to take down Almagro in a battle to meet Federer after that… which could be where the Fed Ex runs into trouble. I know Robredo pulled out of Indian Wells against Murray with an injury but assuming thats recovered and he’s to the point he has been at for the last 3 months… this could be a very disappointing tournament for Roger. As a big Federer fan, I see 3 people right now that scare me: Nadal, Murray, Robredo.
Assuming your an active follower of the tour you’re thinking “Jason, Federer is lifetime 8-0 against Tommy, how is this scary?” Well my astute friends, They haven’t played since 07, and most of their matchups are from ’05 or before. Federer as well all know has been having some serious problems recently both mentally and physically and Robredo has been on fire. It takes more than just a good player playing great to beat Roger… but Robredo has the game style to take advantage of what Nadal and Murray do so well to Roger, bore and grind him down. Roger is VERY much hoping that Robredo gets downed before their matchup.
Then we have Roddick with potential trouble against Safin and Monfils. Obviously I’ve skipped over a couple guys including Tursunov whose a fine player in his own right… but Roddick is 3-1 against him and playing some of his best tennis in recent years right now, so that’d be a staggering loss in my opinion and not something I spend time on. (I may have just jinxed Roddick there) Roddick is 4-3 against Safin so that could be a tough call, but Roddick is playing some of his best tennis now and Safin is in the same boat as Hewitt… they are the guys you THINK are going to do well because of their talent or previous success but so far this year have been completely out of the picture. Monfils actually leads Roddick 3-2 but A-Rod won their last meeting this year in Doha while Monfils has had some disappointing results the past few weeks. I pick A-Rod to meet up with Federer/Robredo and to be honest has a chance to beat both of them, though he is the underdog against both.
Tricky call here, but with the way Federer has been and the fact he already pulled out of Monty Carlo, I’m taking Robredo… yes, Robredo to make it out of this quarter.
LOTS of good tennis, this draw again (as with most Tour 1000 events) is just as difficult as any Grand Slam minus a round… and I expect to see the same high level of tennis as we saw last week at Indian Wells.
March 26th, 2009
Nadal vs. Murray: Shot tolerance at it’s finest
Indian Wells, ATP 1000 event (first of the year)
Seeds:
1. Nadal
2. Federer
3. Djokovic
4. Murray
5. Davydenko – pulled out before the tournament started
6. Del Potro
7. Roddick
8. Simon -
9. Monfils -
10. Verdasco
11. Tsonga -
12. Ferrer
13. Blake -
14. Nalbandian
15. Robredo
16. Wawrinka
My Pick: Nadal
Underdog Pick: Robredo
Murray d. Federer 6-3 4-6 6-1
Well I’m quite disappointed in Federer. I know this isn’t a Grand Slam (even though the field was equally tough) but the fact that he’s lost to Murray four times in a row is shocking. I realize that similar to Nadal, this is a bad matchup in playing styles for Roger… but he’s got the shots to get it done, and I really feel he’s failing mentally. Not to take anything away from Murray, who is a great player and all… but Federer has to improve his shot tolerance. Federer loves making great shots out of great shots, and nobody in the world can do it nearly as well as he can. The problem comes when someone hits good deep smart shots to you repeatedly, and he never gets the right ball to hit a great shot on… to put it quite simply, Federer gets bored. Once that happens, he starts going for too much off the wrong ball and the prestine game that we’re so used to seeing falls into a mess of errors. IF Federer were to play Murray with the patience to wait until he gets the right ball to attack, even if that comes after a 25 ball rally… he would win. Perhaps he doesn’t know if he is fit enough? Back injury still there and worrying him? who knows.
Nadal d. Roddick 6-4 7-6(4)
Well played match by both guys. The lefty forehand over to Roddicks backhand is a recipe for a loss, and Roddicks only way to avoid a sound beating was to be a bit more aggressive than normal on the serve and forehand (which in my opinion he should always be, but I digress). He was, it worked… almost. In the second set Nadal was up 5-3 serving for it when Roddick broke back and took it to a breaker. It’s hard to accuse Roddick of putting less than 100% effort in, and he used sound strategy unlike Fed… he just wasn’t good enough.
The Final!
Rafael Nadal vs. Andy Murray
Head to Head: Played 7 times, Rafa won the first 5, Murray won the last 2. (Nadal got injured during the Rotterdam finals though, so decide for yourself if that counts)
Matchup: This is going to be a VERY exciting mental battle. Much of what I was talking about with the Federer/Murray match is going to hold true. Who has the better shot tolerance? If you read my blog much you know that I simply can’t pick Murray here for more reasons than just talent. This is going to be an absolutely grueling match, more than likely a 3 setter. The only thing that I can guarantee is that Nadal won’t quit.
Score prediction: I usually don’t like to predict scores because it’s aweful hard to know the variables involved unless you’re there and around both of the players etc. before the match starts… which I’m not. That being said, I’ll try.
Nadal d. Murray 4-6 7-6(4) 6-2
this is just a prediction, the match is later today
If you read this in time, feel free to throw your prediction down as well!
March 22nd, 2009
Grand Slam #5, shaping up nicely
Indian Wells, ATP 1000 event (first of the year)
Seeds:
1. Nadal
2. Federer
3. Djokovic
4. Murray
5. Davydenko – pulled out before the tournament started
6. Del Potro
7. Roddick
8. Simon –
9. Monfils –
10. Verdasco
11. Tsonga –
12. Ferrer
13. Blake –
14. Nalbandian
15. Robredo
16. Wawrinka
My Pick: Nadal
Underdog Pick: Robredo
Underdog Pick: Robredo
Hard to argue with the seeding committee or the rankings in general at Indian Wells. Currently still alive until later this afternoon are the 1,2,3,4,6, and 7 seeds… and the 5 seed withdrew before the tournament. The only player I’m disappointed in is Robredo but I’ll get to that later.
Here are some interesting, though predictable, results:
Nadal d. Nalbandian 3-6 7-6(5) 6-0
Nadal saved 5 match points in the second set, well done. Certainly a tough loss for Nalbandian, but I hate to see the brain fart in the third set. Yes it’s debilitating to lose the second set after being so close to victory… but get your head out of your hind quarters and try again in the third! This paints the picture on why Nalbandian has never gone to the next level… how often do you see Nadal lose a tough second set and then pack his bags? never.
Wawrinka d. Querrey 2-6 7-5 7-6(8)
Wow… love to see scores like that. An absolute battle all the way through to the last point, love it.
Djokovic d. Wawrinka 7-6(7) 7-6(6)
Wawrinka is close to making it to the next level… wouldn’t be suprised at all if he’s top 10 by the end of the year.
Isner d. Safin 6-4 6-4
Del Potro d. Isner 7-6(4) 7-6(3)
Good tournament for Big John… when his serve is on You have to take him down in TB’s and obviously Del Potro was up to that challenge. Good news for John though as he faded away this time last year and had some bad results… he’s really going to pick up some points if he can keep his game at this level and hopefully won’t be needing to take up those precious American WC’s anymore!
Roddick d. Ferrer 7-6(5) 3-6 6-3
Excellent win for Roddick here. Ferrer is a tough out for anyone, especially deep in the tournament because you know Ferrer is ready to go 3 sets if need be… this win is probably best attributed to Roddicks improved fitness.
Federer d. Gonzalez 6-3 5-7 6-2
Roger always struggles with Gonzo… usually wins, but always struggles. Quite simply, Roger (and everyone) struggles with a guy like Gonzo who takes such low percentage balls over and over… its a bit tough to predict and doesn’t give Fed the rhythm he loves to play with.
Federer d. Verdasco 6-3 7-6 (5)
You might have been thinking that Roger hates lefties and this is a tough matchup, however no lefties in the world hit the ball the way Nadal does and in fact Roger has a pretty exceptional record against every lefty… but one. I didn’t see this match unfortunately, but I’m not sure Verdasco has the capability to hit high biting balls up to Rogers backhand repeatedly, and if he can do that successfully I’m not sure he has the mental fortitude not to go for other shots that he normally would in favor of breaking Fed’s backhand down.
Murray d. Robredo 6-2 3-0 ret.
I know there are some Murray lovers out there, but the person writing this blog is not. Huge disappointment here. Robredo has played more tennis this year than anyone I would imagine and apparently it caught up to him here. Even IF his wrist is so bad that he couldn’t put in much of a performance I’d still prefer he at least finishes it out. Unfortunately even the tougher guys in tennis are opting for the retirement bailout plan. Lame.
Murray d. Ljubicic 7-5 7-6(6)
Ljubicic is a tough man to predict. His game isn’t nearly as flaky as a Blake or Fish… but he seems to be docile in most tournaments with some HUGE breakout tournaments mixed in. I still consider him a bit lucky in this tournament that Ancic got injured… and he rode that wave of good fortune into the quarters.
Matches to Come
Nadal vs. Del Potro (quarters)
The history between these two is 3-0 Nadal… and it hasn’t been close. Juan Martin got 5 games in one set, out of 7 total sets played. I know DP is a young player and improving and all that jazz, but I haven’t seen anything yet that makes me think he’s going to take out the CLEAR world #1. Straight set beating incoming
Djokovic vs. Roddick (quarters)
Get your popcorn and beverage of choice and enjoy. For those of you living under a rock ill catch you up to speed. They are lifetime 2-2 against each other with bad blood on both sides. Novak constantly makes jokes and impressions of others(which are funny), Roddick made a joke about Novak (which was hilarious) and Novak decided to act like a moron and say some really stupid things after beating Roddick in front of a capacity crowd in NY. They say they’ve both gotten over it and all is good between them… but if you know athletes at all you know that even IF they cleared things up… they want to win this match for more reasons than just being in the semis of a tour 1000 event (which is a great reason in itself)
There are 2 possible outcomes that I forsee here. Option 1 is that these two battle their butts off and in my opinion they are pretty evenly matched… so this has potential for an exciting 3 setter. Option 2 is that Novak has some sort of injury etc. and throws in the towel (mentally at least). I’d be VERY suprised if the Djoker just rolls over Andy, whom lately I’m considering to be one of the toughest competitors out there. I’ll pick Roddick to pull the minor upset here, but it’s about 50/50.
Federer vs. Murray (Semi’s)
In my life, I will never pick Murray to beat Federer. I realize theres an age difference that could favor Murray in another 7 years or so… but god himself will have to come down here and push the keys for me to predict a Murray win over Fed. Interestingly Murray leads Fed 5-2 lifetime, but I don’t care. If you’re wondering how Murray can possibly beat him, it’s quite interesting actually. Murray has the patience enough to bore Roger into not playing his best tennis… I have to give the brit credit it’s an excellent strategy, but sooner or later Roger is going to figure that achilles heal out and move past it.
Great tennis today, check out the results HERE
March 20th, 2009
Indian Wells – the next grand slam
Indian Wells, ATP 1000 event (first of the year)
(pictured left to right: Querrey, Rochus, Isner)
Seeds:
1. Nadal
2. Federer
3. Djokovic
4. Murray
5. Davydenko – pulled out before the tournament started
6. Del Potro
7. Roddick
8. Simon – Ljubicic
9. Monfils – beat by Isner
10. Verdasco
11. Tsonga – beat by (22)Andreev
12. Ferrer
13. Blake – (17) Gonzalez
14. Nalbandian
15. Robredo
16. Wawrinka
My Pick: Nadal
Underdog Pick: Robredo
If you’re a tennis fan, which I’m guessing you are unless you clicked the wrong url and got stuck here… you have to be happy with how this tournament has developed.
Not only by results but in terms of actual play, it seems like for this time of the year we have a very high level of tennis. Here are some interesting results thus far:
Isner d. Monfils - 6-7(5) 6-1 6-4
Great job John. I have been a fan of Isner for the last couple years ever since we played against Georgia in college tennis. Nice guy, big game, tons of potential.
Del Potro d. Sweeting – 6-7(6) 6-3 6-1
Sweeting went to Alabama to be a hitting partner for the US Davis Cup team, then gets the WC into Indian Wells and beats Odesnik in the first round and has battle with the #6 ranked man in the world. Those of you wondering about American tennis may be interested in this turn of events.
Chardy d. Fish – 7-6(4) 7-6(1)
No suprise, Chardy has had some great results this year so far and Fish can lose to anybody. If your really taken back by this result please leave a comment and tell me why!
Querrey d. Stepanek – 6-4 6-3
If your not suprised by this result, tell me why! I like Sam and he’s got a big game and big potential but Stepanek has been one of the hottest players in the world the last couple months. To get beaten that badly by Querrey is a little suprising, maybe all of the tennis caught up with him.
Ljubicic d. Simon – 6-3 7-6(3)
Ljubicic catches a break with Ancic defaulting at 3-3 in the round before and rides it a couple rounds! He faces Andreev in the next round whom he has beaten the last 3 times they’ve met. His ride will end after that at the hands of Robredo or Murray however.
Robredo d. Cilic – 7-5 7-6(2)
If you’ve read my blog before then you know this isn’t a suprise… but yet another great result by Mr. Robredo. Now to take out Murray.
Murray, Federer, Nadal, Djokovic – cruising
Gonzalez d. Blake – 7-5 6-1
The coin toss landed on tails for Blake early this tournament.
Verdasco d. Gasquet – 6-3 6-2
From a talent standpoint this is a very suprising result. From a mental standpoint, this is what was expected. Verdasco is a fighter who is hungry to put his name a little higher on the peg board of tennis… Gasquet on the other hand is pretty content with his career and is going to hover around his current ranking until he retires or gets injured or somebody decides to give him a win.
Great matchups coming:
Federer vs. Gonzalez
Some were worried about the Fed vs. Karlovic but he simply returns too well. Gonzalez in my opinion is his first scare in this tournament. Federer has beaten Gonzales 11 times and only lost once, but of their 12 meetings 9 have gone into extra innings. I’m putting my money on Federer but we’ll see how his health is here with this test.
Murray vs. Robredo
Murray wins the talent war here… but Robredo is a fighter. I realize I’m going against the grain here, but I’m taking Robredo (who has won both times they’ve met) to win. Murray can surely find an excuse to lose can’t he?
Querrey vs. Wawrinka
Could go either way, I expect a tight match here.
Safin vs. Isner
Safin has had a pretty down year. With Isner having two great wins so far this tournament and everything to gain by this win… I’ll pick Isner with the upset.
If you get a chance to watch this tournament… Do it! also you can follow the live scores at bnpparibasopen.com or click HERE for the updated singles draw
March 17th, 2009
We’re back at Indian Wells
Indian Wells, ATP 1000 event (first of the year)
Seeds:
1. Nadal
2. Federer
3. Djokovic
4. Murray
5. Davydenko
6. Del Potro
7. Roddick
8. Simon
9. Monfils
10. Verdasco
11. Tsonga
12. Ferrer
13. Blake
14. Nalbandian
15. Robredo
16. Wawrinka
This event seeds 32, as it’s a 128 draw. I’m not going to list them all because it takes up too much space and frankly they wont win. The only guys who I could see making any wake from down there are Stepanek and Ancic.
Now lets look at the draw and see who has good and bad luck, and a few predictions.
Quarter #1
Nadal: Within his first three rounds his toughest competition would be Berdych. (I still have no faith in Nalbandian.
Nadal will then beat Del Potro to move onto the Semi’s.
Del Potro: Is going to make it to Nadal, and then get whacked. Toughest competition would be Monfils, but I’m not sure Monfils will get past Isner in the first round.
Quarter #2
Djokovic: Scheuttler won’t do it. He’s into the roun dof 16 without much trouble. Then I’m guessing he plays Stepanek
Stepanek vs. Wawrinka: Stepanek leads 2-0 lifetime and has had an amazing year so far. I don’t see it changing any time soon. I think Djokovic advancing but would not be suprised at ALL if Stepanek took down the Djoker to advance through his round of 16.
Ferrer: Plays Fish early on which is a bit tricky, but I’ll assume he is just too solid and grinds Fish out of the tournament. Thats also assuming Fish gets past the winner of Chardy/Henescu in his first round… which is by NO means a given.
Roddick: If Roddick doesn’t make it to the round of 16 it’d be SHOCKING. He’s hoping Ferrer gets dropped earlier on (perferably by Fish) so he can advance to meet Stepanek or Djoker in the quarters. Ferrer has beaten Roddick the last 3 times in a row, but judging by their year so far I would take Roddick to advance in a battle.
Very tough call but I’ll pick Roddick to advance through the quarter to meet Nadal
Quarter #3
Simon: Ancic would be a very tough match here. Ancic leads the series 2-1 having just beat Simon in 3 tough sets in Rotterdam earlier in the year.
Ancic: Bit of a tough draw as he could face Ljubicic in the second round. Ancic is the better player in my opinion but they are good friends and have played doubles together several times. Ljubicic leads the series 4-1. I take a minor upset in that I still pick Ancic to move on.
Gulbis: I’m taking a small upset in Gulbis to upset the #22 seed Andreev.
Tsonga: Moves past a tough Acasuso and then beats Gulbis. Then he beats Ancic to move into the quarterfinals.
Robredo: I realize he has been dominating the claycourts (not hard) but his game transfers well… and I’ll look for him to make a run here beating Cilic who is a very tough opponent and then moving past Murray.
Murray: Cruises past Mathiu as long as his pinky or something doesn’t hurt… and then gets chopped down by Robredo. Some of you may think I’m crazy and don’t give enough respect to Murray… and while I won’t argue with the crazy comment, Robredo has won both times they’ve played.
I’ll pick Robredo to move through to the semi’s as he has beat Tsonga in straights the only time they’ve played.
Quarter #4
Davydenko: Could lose to anyone, including Benneteau in his first round.
Gasquet, Verdasco, Llodra, Lopez, Bellucci, Soderling.
Take your pick, any of these guys could advance without any wonder or suprise. If I were a betting man I’d take Verdasco. As well I’ll bet against Davydenko to advance.
Federer: The only way he loses before the quarters is if he’s still too injured to go on. You could say the Dr. (karlovic) is scary to play.. but Federer simply returns too well. Federer leads their head to head series 6-1 though Ivo did win the last meeting. Likewise I just don’t see Gonzalez or Blake stepping up to the plate and knocking the Fed out. That being said whoever he plays in the quarters from above really isn’t going to pose too much of a threat. Federer moves into the semis.
For the complete 2 page draw in March Madness tournament style, click here
March 12th, 2009
I’m not slacking, its Davis Cup week!
Well this, like the Grand Slams and a slew of other times during the year is a bit of a different week for my blog. Those of you who may be VERY interested in this (as it’s extremely exciting) can head to www.daviscup.org and find out ALL about it.
OR sit back and relax and I’ll run over the initial matchups and some interesting points about it without leaving this fantastic website!
World Group 2009 – 1st round
United States vs. Switzerland – Federer @ USA
An almost certain loss for the US has been averted by Federer electing not to play due to his back injury. The fans lose out on this one in Alabama, but the entire USA team wins… and probably with ease. (though Stanislas is no slouch!)
Argentina vs. Netherlands @ Argentina
This is a slam dunk for Argentina, if they lose this I’ll stand on my head for the rest of this broadcast. (hopefully some of you remember that move by McEnroe…)
Czech Republic vs. France @ Czech Republic
A fairly heavy favorite goes to France on a talent level, however on a very tough Czech team you have Stepanek who has just recently gotten to the finals and won an ATP event. As long as Gasquet doesn’t play for France, they should win… and Gasquet just pulled out of his last event so I’d imagine he’ll sit.
Croatia vs. Chile @ Croatia
On INDOOR hard courts in Croatia (good choice btw) I have to take the massive serves of Cilic, Karlovic and Ancic to pull this one out. Personally I’d have Ancic as my #2 man as the Dr. (Ivo) is too risky. On a clay court, this match swings entirely the other way, but I’d certainly be impressed if Chile could pull this off.
Sweden vs. Israel @ Sweden
Ill bet on Israel in Dudi Sela, but this will be tight.
Romania vs. Russia @ Romania
I’ve got to pick Russia with talent in Safin, Tursunov, and Youshny… but don’t underestimate the instability of Marat, and the play of big serving Hanescu. That being said, it’d be a big BIG upset for Romania to pull this out!
Germany Vs. Austria @ Germany
Tough one here… though I’ll go Germany in a battle.
Spain vs. Serbia @ Spain
Obviously played on red clay here we have a BATTLE. Nadal has elected not to play which tips the favor to Novak and team Serbia… But i simply can’t count Ferrer and Robredo out. Robredo has won 2 ATP’s in the last month and is absolutely on fire… and Ferrer on Red clay is scary for any man. Team Spain is hoping and praying its the hottest day of the year. I give the edge to Spain, even without Nadal. (btw Spain, Verdasco might be a decent addition to your team)
Other Interesting Matchup
India vs. Chinese Taipei @ Chinese Taipei
Up and commer Somdev Devvarman, the two time NCAA National Champion from Virginia, leads the Indian team into Kaohsiung. The famous doubles team of Paes and Bhupathi have put their differences aside (for the past year or two) and have decided to put their country first and play doubles together again, which means almost a SURE point for India.
Chinese Taipei has Lu who is currently ranked #59 and Chen at #374.
DevVarman of India is currently ranked #150 and Bopanna #324. Look for DevVarman to win this match for India.
One last interesting fact is that DevVarman’s teammate last year at Virginia Sanam Singh has been named to the Indian Davis Cup Team for the first time and will most likely be a backup singles player.
Good luck India, and GO HOOS!
March 4th, 2009
Fish lost me $20
Delray Beach, FL ATP 250
1. Fish
2. Querrey
3. Gulbis
4. Kunitsyn
5. Darcis
6. Serra
7. Chardy (pictured)
8. Lu
My Pick: Querrey
Underdog Pick: Hewitt
Champion: Mardy Fish
Runner Up: Evgeny Korolev
Mardy Fish d. Evgeny Korolev 7-5, 6-3
Well done sir, well done
Old news perhaps, but Fish wins his first title in 3 years and breaks the Delray curse. That is, he was the first #1 seed in the history of the tournament to win the title. If you somehow saw this coming (clearly you have contacts with God) then you should be writing a tennis blog semi-daily and have tons of followers! If your a human, and this is a massive suprise to you… join the rest of us!
I made a bet and gave my Boss 4:1 odds on Fish not winning the tournament and somehow… I’m out $20. Next week I plan to bet him $100 that I don’t win the lottery… The same odds there in my somewhat humble opinion (but with my luck I’d win $10 in the lottery and be out another $90)
Anyway, I’ll still be betting against Fish and Blake all day long (GO USA in Davis Cup!) but Fish got me this time so credit where it is due… well done Mardy. He is a fun player to watch and has a ton of game, so even if it means me being horribly innacurate with my predictions I wouldn’t mind watching him have some continued success.
Good result Evgeny, as it’s certainly hard to play your way all the way through qualies and then get to the finals of an ATP event (even if it is 250).
For the singles main draw, click here
March 4th, 2009
Almagro on top
Acapulco ATP 500
Top Seeds:
1. Nalbandian <- is anyone suprised?
2. Monfils
3. Robredo
4. Almagro
5. Acasuso
6. Montanes
7. Granollers
8. Moya
My pick: Tommy “en fuego” Robredo
Underdog Pick: Everyone other than Robredo… but if I had to pick I’d go Bellucci
Champion: (4)Nicolas Almagro 6-4 6-4
Runner Up: Gael Monfils
I had picked Almagro to win this final match, however I wasn’t really expecting the 6-4 6-4 routine win by Almagro. Monfils who is now ranked a career high #10 in the world is now just 1-6 in ATP finals… perhaps he has a bit of a problem developing there. Unfortunately for him it looks like it isn’t a fitness issue, which would be easy to solve… but more of a mental block.
Following his match Monfils said
“I didn’t play well today. When I get to the final I have a hard time. Today in particular I didn’t handle it well. I wasn’t aggressive enough but it’s something I will work on and hopefully get better at”
I hope he does improve it, as he’s a fun guy to watch and you hate to see anyone have that particular problem.
March 1st, 2009
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