It seemed like a danger sign, didn’t it?

Tomas Berdych dispatched of Nicolas Almagro, 6-2, 6-2.  Almagro is no chump.  He’s had one of his best years.  But Berdych is a player when he’s on, and that’s rare, he may be the most talented pure hitter on the planet.  Alas, he’s not usually on, and he’s as likely to lose to someone ranked 40 as beating someone above him.  Berydch has been remarkably consistent this year, and yet, not making it to semis or finals.  He’s been to 13 of 17 quarterfinals.

When Berdych is on, he makes everything look effortless whether it be his blistering serve or his powerful forehand.

I figured that Berdych’s quick win over Almagro didn’t spell good news for Roger Federer.

Federer took a step backwards, trying to get quick points, not stretch the points, and hope the balls landed in.  However, he was unable to keep his forehand under control.

Berdych quickly took the first set 6-2 and had chances in all of Federer’s serves.  In the second set, Federer had to work a bit harder to hold serve, often relying on aces to escape.  The two played to a second set tiebreak when Federer fell behind one mini-break then later on a second and Berdych won it 7 points to 3.

Basically, Berdych played aggressive and Roger made errors.  Roger appeared to want to play like he did against Blake.  Very short points.  Blake plays the same way but makes even more errors.  Berdych, on the other hand, seems more relaxed.  Berdych might have been more susceptible to errors if Roger had played longer points but Roger didn’t seem to want any of that.

Berdych plays the winner of tonight’s match.

Last match tonight: Monfils takes on Djokovic