Wednesday’s Results
Singles Second Round
Wayne Odesnik (USA) def. 3 Jurgen Melzer (AUT) 6-4 6-0
Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (ESP) def. 4 Jeremy Chardy (FRA) 6-1 6-0
WC John Isner (USA) def. Paul Capdeville (CHI) 4-6 7-6(1) 7-6(5)
Lleyton Hewitt (AUS) def. Sergio Roitman (ARG) 6-1 6-3

Doubles First Round
J. Levine (USA)/R Sweeting (USA) def. 3 L. Arnold Ker (ARG)/M. Damm (CZE) 6-2 6-4
S. Lipsky (USA)/D. Vemic (SRB) def. D. Gimeno-Traver (ESP)/D. Junqueria (ARG) 6-3 6-4

Double Second Round
1 B. Bryan (USA)/M. Bryan (USA) def. J. Isner (USA)/T. Parrott (USA) 6-4 6-2
J. Blake (USA)/Mardy Fish (USA) def. J. Cerretani (USA)/D. Norman (BEL) 6-3 7-6(0)

Thursday’s Order of Play

Juan Carlos Ferrero did it again. He beat Potito Starace 6-4 7-6(1) and now has advanced into the quarterfinals to play Victor Hanescu, who beat Ivan Navarro in straight sets. The two players have never played in an ATP event. Let’s hope there are no surprises in the next round.

Federico Gil rallied to beat Ivan Ljubicic 5-7 6-3 7-5. The Portuguese troublemaker gave Rafael Nadal a run for his money in the first set of their Indian Wells match. He is currently enjoying a career-high ATP ranking of 70 and will face Albert Montanes in the next round. The two have yet to meet in an ATP event.

Wednesday’s Matches
Singles Second Round
3 Albert Montanes (ESP) def. Santiago Ventura (ESP) 5-7 6-3 7-5
4 Victor Hanesco (ROU) def. Ivan Navarro (ESP) 6-1 6-0
Frederico Gil (POR) def. Ivan Ljubicic (CRO) 6-7(2) 7-5 6-4
Juan Carlos Ferrero (ESP) def. Potito Starace (ITA) 6-4 7-6(1)

Doubles Second Round
1 L. Kubot (POL)/O. Marach (AUT) def. N. Devilder (FRA)/C. Rochus (BEL) 7-5 6-4
L. Friedl (CZE)/D. Skoch (CZE) def. WC R. Chaki (MAR)/R. El Amrani (MAR) 6-7(6) 6-3 10-2
A. Montanes (ESP)/S. Ventura (ESP) def. WC M. Saber (MAR)/M. Ziadi (MAR) 6-4 6-3

Doubles Quarterfinals
2 S. Aspelin (SWE)/P. Hanley (AUS) def. T. Bellucci (BRA)/E. Butorac (USA) 6-3 6-3
3 C. Kas (GER)/R. Wassen (NED) def. F. Gil (POR)/H. Tecau (ROU) 7-6(3) 6-2

Thursday's Matches
Singles Second Round
Mischa Zverev (GER) vs. Marc Gicquel (FRA)
Igor Andreev (RUS) vs. Nicolas Devilder (FRA)
Florent Serra (FRA) vs. Olivier Rochus (BEL)
Teimuraz Gabashvili (RUS) vs. Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo (ESP)

Doubles Quarterfinals
J. Brunstrom (SWE)/J.J. Rojer (AHO) vs. D. Skoch (CZE)/L Friedl (CZE)
L. Kubot (POL)/O. Marach (AUT) vs. A. Montanes (ESP)/S. Ventura (ESP)

Doubles Semifinals
3 C. Kas (GER)/R. Wassen (NED) vs. 2 S. Aspelin (SWE)/P. Hanley (AUS)

Thursday's Order of Play

(Image: El Khiat)

Tandon assesses a portion of the men's field. I would like to add a few to the list -- Cilic: BUY, Simon: HOLD, Gasquet: SELL, Hewitt: RETURN (ESPN)
Nadal could skip Madrid to focus on defending his French Open title (Times)
Nadal's people translate part of his interview with a French website (Rafael Nadal)
The obligatory articles regarding Federer's decline (Fox, Herald Sun)

The second day of the tournament was a good day for the Germans. Bjorn Phau, ATP world number 77, upset Mardy Fish 6-3 5-7 6-3. In the next round, Phau will play Scoville Jenkins. The two players have never met in an ATP event.

Veteran player Tommy Haas had a routine win over countryman Denis Gremelmayer 6-3 6-3. Haas, who celebrated his 31st birthday a few days ago, will play the sixth seed Marcel Granollers. The two players have never played in an ATP event, though Haas won the title in 2004.

It was not the best day for the American singles players. The top seeds James Blake and Mardy Fish lost. Fifth seed Sam Querrey pulled out of the tournament with a hamstring injury. Fellow American, Amer Delic replaced Querrey and then lost to Chilean Paul Capdeville after winning the first set.

Taylor Dent, John Isner and Scoville Jenkins won their matches after losing the first set and then rallied to win in three sets. On the doubles side, the reliable Bryan brothers won their match against Jeremy Chardy and Brian Dabul 7-6(5) 6-3.

The last Argentine player left in the singles draw, Guillermo Canas dealt Blake his loss 6-4 6-4. This is the Canas’ second win this year. He will play Evgeny Korolev in the next round. In 2007, Canas came out on top in their only meeting.

The lone Frenchman in the tournament, Jeremy Chardy took no time defeating Jesse Levine 6-3 6-0 after 61 minute of work. He will meet Guillermo Garcia-Lopez in the second round. The two players have never met in ATP play. On paper, Chardy should have no trouble with the Spaniard.

Tuesday’s Results
Singles First Round
Guillermo Canas (ARG) def. 1 James Blake (USA) 6-4 6-4
Bjorn Phau (GER) def. 2 Mardy Fish (USA) 6-3 5-7 6-3
4 Jeremy Chardy (FRA) def. LL Jesse Levine (USA) 6-3 6-0
6 Marcel Granollers (ESP) def. Brian Dabul (ARG) 2-6 6-4 6-1
Paul Capdeville (CHI) def. Amer Delic* (USA) 6-7(5) 7-6(5) 6-1
Lleyton Hewitt (AUS) def. 7 Diego Junqueira (ARG) 6-0 6-2
Tommy Haas (GER) def. Denis Gremelmayr (GER) 6-3 6-3
WC John Isner (USA) def. Q Michael Russell (USA) 4-6 6-3 6-2
WC Taylor Dent (USA) vs. Marcos Daniel (BRA)
Sergio Roitman (ARG) def. Agustin Calleri (ARG) 6-3 6-3
Q Scoville Jenkins (USA) def. Q Alexander Peya (AUT) 0-6 6-4 6-3
Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (ESP) def. Q Giovanni Lapentti (ECU) 1-6 6-0 6-2
*Replaces 5 seed Sam Querrey (USA)

Doubles First Round
1 B. Bryan (USA)/M. Bryan (USA) def. J. Chardy (FRA)/B. Dabul (ARG) 7-6(5) 6-3
2 A. Fisher (AUS)/J. Kerr (AUS) def. J. Melzer (AUT)/A. Peya (AUT) 3-6 6-4 10-7
J. Cerretani (USA)/D. Norman (BEL) def. 4 S. Huss (AUS)/R. Hutchins (GBR) 7-5 7-6(6)
J. Levinsky (CZE)/P. Vizner (CZE) def. M. Gonzalez (ARG)/S. Roitman (ARG) 6-1 6-4

Wednesday’s Matches
Singles Second Round
3 Jurgen Melzer (AUT) vs. Wayne Odesnik (USA)
4 Jeremy Chardy (FRA) vs. Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (ESP)
WC John Isner (USA) vs. Paul Capdeville (CHI)
Lleyton Hewitt (AUS) vs. Sergio Roitman (ARG)

Doubles First Round
3 L. Arnold Ker (ARG)/M. Damm (CZE) vs. J. Levine (USA)/R Sweeting (USA)
D. Gimeno-Traver (ESP)/D. Junqueria (ARG) vs. S. Lipsky (USA)/D. Vemic (SRB)

Double Second Round
1 B. Bryan (USA)/M. Bryan (USA) vs. J. Isner (USA)/T. Parrott (USA)
J. Blake (USA)/Mardy Fish (USA) vs. J. Cerretani (USA)/D. Norman (BEL)

Wednesday’s Order of Play

(image: Aaron M. Sprecher/ROCC)

Juan Carlos Ferrero successfully returned to the circuit after being sidelined with a leg injury for six weeks. He beat the seventh-seeded Christophe Rochus 6-2 6-3 after just 61 minutes of play. Up next for the Spaniard is Potito Starace from Italy. Ferrero currently leads their head-to-head 3-1, but Starace won their last meeting in Rome in 2007.

Unlike Ferrero, Igor Andreev had a more difficult time overcoming a wild card. He had to rally in three sets to beat Rabie Chaki, the hometown favorite 3-6 6-3 7-5. Andreev served for the match at 5-4 in the third set but managed to lose his serve. He persevered and wrapped up the match three games later.

Andreev will play Frenchmen Nicolas Devilder in the next round. The two players have never met in an ATP event.

Tuesday's Results
Singles First Round
1 Igor Andreev (RUS) def. WC Rabie Chaki (MAR) 3-6 6-3 7-5
Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo (ESP) def. 2 Rainer Schulettler (GER) 6-4 7-6(5)
3 Albert Montanes (ESP) def. WC Reda El Amrani (MAR) 6-2 7-5
6 Marc Gicquel (FRA) def. Kristof Vliegen (BEL) 7-5 6-3
Juan Carlos Ferrero (ESP) def. 7 Christophe Rochus (BEL) 6-2 6-3
Olivier Rochus (BEL) def. WC Mehdi Ziadi (MAR) 4-6 6-2 6-1
Potito Starace (ITA) def. Oscar Hernandez (ESP) 4-6 6-3
Teimuraz Gabashvili (RUS) def. Fabio Fognini (ITA) 6-2 6-1
Santiago Ventura (ESP) def. Q Oliver Marach (AUT) 6-1 6-1
Nicolas Devilder (FRA) def. Daniel Koellerer (AUT) 6-3 6-4
Mischa Zverev (GER) def. Flavio Cipolla (ITA) 6-2 3-6 6-3

Doubles First Round
3 C. Kas (GER)/R. Wassen (NED) def. Y. Allegro (SUI)/A. Clement (FRA) 7-6(9) 6-3
4 J. Brunstrom (SWE)/J.J. Rojer (AHO) vs. F. Cipolla (ITA)/P. Storace* (ITA) 6-4 7-6(2)
T. Bellucci (BRA)/E. Butorac (USA) def. R. Bopanna (IND)/L. Zovko (CRO) 7-6(4) 6-3
F. Gil (POR)/ H. Tecau (ROU) def. M. Gicquel (FRA)/F. Serra (FRA) 5-7 6-4 11-9
*Replaced T. Gabashvili (RUS)/S. Stakhovsky (UKR)

Wednesday’s Matches
Singles Second Round
3 Albert Montanes (ESP) vs. Santiago Ventura (ESP)
4 Victor Hanesco (ROU) vs. Ivan Navarro (ESP)
Ivan Ljubicic (CRO) vs. Frederico Gil (POR)
Potito Starace (ITA) vs. Juan Carlos Ferrero (ESP)

Doubles First Round
1 L. Kubot (POL)/O. Marach (AUT) vs. N. Devilder (FRA)/C. Rochus (BEL)
WC R. Chaki (MAR)/R. El Amrani (MAR) vs. L. Friedl (CZE)/D. Skoch (CZE)
WC M. Saber (MAR)/M. Ziadi (MAR) vs. A. Montanes (ESP)/S. Ventura (ESP)

Doubles Quarterfinals
2 S. Aspelin (SWE)/P. Hanley (AUS) vs. T. Bellucci (BRA)/E. Butorac (USA)
3 C. Kas (GER)/R. Wassen (NED) vs. F. Gil (POR)/H. Tecau (ROU)

Wednesday's Order of Play

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(Image: El Khiat)

Monday’s Results
Qualifying Third Round
Scoville Jenkins (USA) def. Donald Young (USA) 6-4 6-4
Michael Russell (USA) def. Filip Krajinovic (SRB) 6-2 6-2
Alexander Peya (AUT) def. Jesse Levine (USA) 6-2 6-2
Giovanni Lapentti (ECU) def. Amer Delic (USA) 6-3 7-5

Singles First Round
3 Juergen Melzer (AUT) def. Robert Kendrick (USA) 6-1 7-5
Daniel Gimeno-Traver (ESP) def. 8 Maximo Gonzalez (ARG) 6-4 3-6 6-1
Wayne Odesnik (USA) def. Kevin Anderson (RSA) 7-6(2) 6-4
Evgeny Korolev (RUS) def. Leonardo Mayer (ARG) 7-6(2) 2-6 7-5

Doubles First Round
J. Isner (USA)/T. Parrott (USA) def. D. Martin (USA)/S. Querrey (USA) 6-2 6-3
J. Blake (USA)/M. Fish (USA) def. A. Delic (USA)/R. Kendrick (USA) 4-6 6-4 10-7

Tuesday’s Matches
Singles First Round
1 James Blake (USA) vs. Guillermo Canas (ARG)
2 Mardy Fish (USA) vs. Bjorn Phau (GER)
4 Jeremy Chardy (FRA) vs. (LL) Jesse Levine (USA)
5 Sam Querrey (USA) vs. Paul Capdeville (CHI)
6 Marcel Granollers (ESP) vs. Brian Dabul (ARG)
7 Diego Junqueira (ARG) vs. Lleyton Hewitt (AUS)
Tommy Haas (GER) vs. Denis Gremelmayr (GER)
WC John Isner (USA) vs. (Q) Michael Russell (USA)
WC Taylor Dent vs. Marcos Daniel (BRA)
Sergio Roitman (ARG) vs. Agustin Calleri (ARG)
Q Alexander Peya (AUT) vs. Q Scoville Jenkins (USA)
Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (ESP) vs. Q Giovanni Lapentti (ECU)

Doubles First Round
1 B. Bryan (USA)/M. Bryan (USA) vs. J. Chardy (FRA)/B. Dabul (ARG)
2 A. Fisher (AUS)/J. Kerr (AUS) vs. J. Melzer (AUT)/A. Peya (AUT)
4 S. Huss (AUS)/R. Hutchins (GBR) vs. J. Cerretani (USA)/D. Norman (BEL)
J. Levinsky (CZE)/P. Vizner (CZE) vs. M. Gonzalez (ARG)/S. Roitman (ARG)

Tuesday's Order of Play

1 Nadal, Rafael (ESP) 14470
2 Federer, Roger (SUI) 11020
3 Djokovic, Novak (SRB) 9010
4 Murray, Andy (GBR) 8840
5 Del Potro, Juan Martin (ARG) 4790
6 Roddick, Andy (USA) 4340
7 Simon, Gilles (FRA) 4010
8 Verdasco, Fernando (ESP) 3760
9 Davydenko, Nikolay (RUS) 3735
10 Monfils, Gael (FRA) 3600
11 Tsonga, Jo-Wilfried (FRA) 3305
12 Ferrer, David (ESP) 3125
13 Gonzalez, Fernando (CHI) 2825
14 Robredo, Tommy (ESP) 2765
15 Nalbandian, David (ARG) 2735
16 Wawrinka, Stanislas (SUI) 2620
17 Blake, James (USA) 2580
18 Cilic, Marin (CRO) 2520
19 Stepanek, Radek (CZE) 2410
20 Almagro, Nicolas (ESP) 2210
21 Safin, Marat (RUS) 2110
22 Andreev, Igor (RUS) 2025
23 Gasquet, Richard (FRA) 1985
24 Soderling, Robin (SWE) 1950
25 Berdych, Tomas (CZE) 1870
26 Karlovic, Ivo (CRO) 1855
27 Tursunov, Dmitry (RUS) 1820
28 Fish, Mardy (USA) 1815
29 Schuettler, Rainer (GER) 1765
30 Kiefer, Nicolas (GER) 1730

Notes
Federer now trails Nadal by 3450 points.
Murray cut Djokovic’s lead to 170 points.
Del Potro jumped two spots to number five.
Simon and Verdasco each moved up one spot to seven and eight respectively.
Davydenko dropped four spots to number nine.
Safin is inching up to the top twenty by moving up two spots to number 21.
Troiki jumped five spots to 36.
Chardy cruised two positions to his personal best ranking of 43.
Tipsarevic and Youzhny each dropped 10 spots to 56 and 72 respectively.
Former world number one, Ferrero dropped another seven spots to 115. Ay! For his sake, he better not lose tomorrow.

1 Bryan, B. (USA) / Bryan, M. (USA) 3265
2 Mirnyi, M. (BLR) / Ram, A. (ISR) 1735
3 Bhupathi, M. (IND) / Knowles, M. (BAH) 1515
4 Kubot, L. (POL) / Marach, O. (AUT) 1200
5 Dlouhy, L. (CZE) / Paes, L. (IND) 1200
6 Damm, M. (CZE) / Lindstedt, R. (SWE) 1025
7 Cermak, F. (CZE) / Mertinak, M. (SVK) 1010
8 Fish, M. (USA) / Roddick, A. (USA) 1000
9 Nestor, D. (CAN) / Zimonjic, N. (SRB) 890
10 Parrott, T. (USA) / Polasek, F. (SVK) 840

Note
Miryni and Ram jumped eight spots to number two after their win in Miami.

Thomaz Bellucci and Sergiy Stakhoysky turned out to be no trouble at all because they both lost today. Federico Gil survived a three setter against Alberto Martin, so he lives to cause trouble another day. He will play Ivan Ljubicic in the next round, who took care of Arnaud Clement in three sets. The two players have never met in an ATP event.

Monday’s Results
Qualifying Third Round
Santiago Ventura (ESP) def. Carlos Poch-Gradin (ESP) 6-3 6-1
Flavio Cipolla (ITA) def. Lamine Ouahab (ALG) 7-6(9) 4-0 Ret’d
Olivier Marach (AUT) def. Olivier Patience (FRA) 6-7(4) 6-4 6-1
Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo (ESP) def. Boris Pashanki (SRB) 6-1 6-2

Singles First Round
Ivan Ljubicic (CRO) def. 8 Arnaud Clement (FRA) 7-6(6) 5-7 6-4
4 Victor Hanescu (ROU) def. Steve Darcis (BEL) 6-4 7-5
5 Florent Serra (FRA) def. Thomaz Bellucci (BRA) 6-3 6-3
Frederico Gil (POR) def. Alberto Martin (ESP) 6-3 3-6 7-6(4)
Ivan Navarro (ESP) def. Sergiy Stakhovsky (UKR) 7-5 4-2 Ret’d wrist

Doubles First Round
S. Aspelin (SWE)/ P. Hanley (AUS) def. O. Hernandez (ESP)/A. Martin (ESP) 6-3 6-7(5) 10-6

Tuesday's Matches
Singles First Round
1 Igor Andreev (RUS) vs. WC Rabie Chaki (MAR)
2 Rainer Schulettler (GER) vs. Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo (ESP)
3 Albert Montanes (ESP) vs. WC Reda El Amrani (MAR)
6 Marc Gicquel (FRA) vs. Kristof Vliegen (BEL)
Olivier Rochus (BEL) vs. WC Mehdi Ziadi (MAR)
Potito Starace (ITA) vs. Oscar Hernandez (ESP)
Fabio Fognini (ITA) vs.Teimuraz GABASHVILI (RUS)
Juan Carlos Ferrero (ESP) vs. 7 Christophe Rochus (BEL)
Santiago Ventura (ESP) vs. Oliver Marach (AUT)
Nicolas Devilder (FRA) vs. Daniel Koellerer (AUT)
Mischa Zverev (GER) vs. Flavio Cipolla (ITA)

Doubles First Round
J. Brunstrom (SWE)/J.J. Rojer (AHO) vs. T. Gabashvili (RUS)/S. Stakhovsky (UKR)
R. Bopanna (IND)/L/ Zovko (CRO) vs. T. Bellucci/E. Butorac
F. Gil (POR)/ H. Tecau (ROU) vs. M. Gicquel (FRA)/F. Serra(FRA)
Y. Allegro (SUI)/A. Clement (FRA) vs. C. Kas (GER)/R. Wassen (NED)

Tuesday's Order of Play

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(Image: El Khiat)

The clay court season kicks off today in Casablanca and Houston and culminates in Paris at the French Open. This is usually a good time for the Spaniards, the French and the South Americans. It is also that time of year where Rafael Nadal banks a lot of points because he is indisputably the best player on clay. Nadal will also be going for his fifth consecutive French Open title, so that should be exciting.

Novak Djokovic’s tournament debuts in Serbia this year. It was formerly the Dutch Open Tennis Amersfoort located in the Netherlands. The Djokovic family with investors purchased the tournament and moved it to Serbia. Some say it is a conflict of interest, but we will see how it goes.

Here is the clay court schedule:

4/6 Casablanca, Houston
4/12 Monte Carlo
4/20 Rome
5/3 Munich, Estoril
5/4 Belgrade
5/10 Madrid
5/17 Kitzbuhel, Dusseldorf
5/25 French Open

City: Casablanca, Morocco
Surface: Outdoor Clay
Championship Points: 250
2008 Singles Champion: Gilles Simon
2008 Doubles Champions: Albert Montanes/Santiago Ventura

Gilles Simon will not defend his title and will take a much needed break from the tour. Igor Andreev and Ivan Ljubicic will most likely fill the void. Juan Carlos Ferrero returns from being out with an injury, so let’s hope he advances deep in the draw because he needs the points. Also, look out for Thomaz Bellucci, Sergiy Stakhovsky and Frederico Gil as possible troublemakers.

On the doubles side, Albert Montanes and Santiago Ventura will defend their doubles title. They will have to contend with the top Euro teams - Kubot/Marach, Kas Wassen, and Aspelin/Hanley.

Tournament Draw
Singles / Doubles

Monday’s Matches
Qualifying Third Round
Santiago Ventura (ESP) vs. Carlos Poch-Gradin (ESP)
Flavio Cipolla (ITA) vs. Lamine Ouahab (ALG)
Olivier Patience (FRA) vs. Olivier Marach (AUT)
Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo (ESP) vs. Boris Pashanki (SRB)

Singles First Round
Arnaud Clement (FRA) vs. Ivan Ljubicic (CRO)
Florent Serra (FRA) vs. Thomaz Bellucci (BRA)
Victor Hanescu (ROU) vs. Steve Darcis (BEL)
Alberto Martin (ESP) vs. Frederico Gil (POR)
Ivan Navarro (ESP) vs. Sergiy Stakhovsky (UKR)

Doubles First Round
O. Hernandez (ESP)/A. Martin (ESP) vs. S. Aspelin (SWE)/ P. Hanley (AUS)

Monday’s Order of Play

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(image: AP)

City: Houston, Texas, USA
Surface: Outdoor Clay
Championship Points: 250
2008 Singles Champion: Marcel Granollers
2008 Doubles Champions: Ernest Gulbis/Rainer Schuettler

Marcel Granollers will be on hand to defend his title. James Blake, Mardy Fish and Lleyton Hewitt will also be there. The tournament is on clay, so there will probably be no trouble from them. Look for Jeremy Chardy to cause a little bit of trouble in the top part of the draw. Also, there is always a possibility that Guillermo Canas could awake from his tennis slumber and surprise someone.

Ernest Gulbis and Rainer Schuettler will not defend their title. The Bryan Brothers, Fisher/Kerr, Ker/Damm and Huss/Hutchins will all be in the mix. Parrott/Polasek are having a good year, but Filip Polasek is not playing in the tournament. Travis Parrott is instead teamed up with the big, serving John Isner. This pairing could be interesting.

Tournament Draw
Singles / Doubles

Monday’s Matches
Qualifying Third Round
Donald Young (USA) vs. Scoville Jenkins (USA)
Michael Russell (USA) vs. Filip Krajinovic (SRB)
Alexander Peya (AUT) vs. Jesse Levine (USA)
Amer Delic (USA) vs. Giovanni Lapentti (ECU)

Singles First Round
3 Juergen Melzer (AUT) vs. Robert Kendrick (USA)
8 Maximo Gonzalez (ARG) vs. Daniel Gimeno-Traver (ESP)
Wayne Odesnik (USA) vs. Kevin Anderson (RSA)
Evgeny Korolev (RUS) vs. Leonardo Mayer (ARG)

Doubles First Round
D. Martin (USA)/S. Querrey (USA) vs. J. Isner (USA)/T. Parrott (USA)
J. Blake (USA)/M. Fish (USA) vs. A. Delic (USA)/R. Kendrick (USA)

Monday’s Order of Play

(Image: Emily Jaschke)

Djokovic upsets Federer.
Max Mirnyi and Andy Ram are the doubles champions.
A maturing del Potro upsets Nadal.
Gasquet has another career to fall back on if the tennis thing doesn't work out.

Andy Murray bested Novak Djokovic 6-2 7-5 in the Championship match. The match lasted 102 minutes. It was an overall solid performance for Murray.

In the opening set, Murray dominated, and Djokovic mishit a lot of balls. Murray struck first with a break in first game after a Djokovic mishit. The set went downhill quickly from there.

It looked like the beginning of a tragedy after Murray broke Djokovic in the first game of the second set. The trainer game out after game one, and it looked like the audience would be treated to another Djokovic retirement.

Djokovic instead came out from the timeout and broke Murray back. Unforced errors creeped into Murray’s game, and Djokovic started attacking Murray’s second serve. Djokovic then rattled off four games in a row. Murray hung around and stepped up his groundstokes and serve. Murray woke up in time to break back in game nine, which set up the hold for the tie at 5-5. He then cruised to victory from there.

The victory is Murray’s 11th career ATP title and third ATP Masters title and puts him only 170 points behind Djokovic. Over the next two months, Murray has only 520 points to defend while Djokovic has 2800 points to defend. The next two months occur during the clay season, Murray’s weakest surface. He still should be able to overtake Djokovic sooner rather than later.

As for Djokovic, it is never good when a player follows up a solid performance with a dud. Djokovic did save face in the second set. I know he is human, but he also wants to be world number one. His team is going to have to do something about his aversion to the heat if he wants to stay competitive with the big boys. Conversely, his win over Federer will keep Federer honest and not let the other players take him for granted. Djokovic is doing better than before, but he still has a ways to go to return to his original form.

(Image: Wilfredo Lee/AP)

Doubles Championship
M. Mirnyi (BLR)/A. Ram (ISR) def. A. Fisher (AUS) S. Huss (AUS) 6-7(4) 6-2 10-7

(image: Getty Images)

Max Mirnyi of Belarus and Andy Ram of Israel beat the Aussie duo of Ashley Fisher and Stephen Huss 6-7(4) 6-2 10-7 in the Sony Ericsson Open doubles final. Mirnyi and Ram, who are currently 10th in ATP Doubles Team Rankings, earned their second title together and first ATP World Tour Masters title. The duo almost won another Masters title in Indian Wells two weeks ago when they lost to Mardy Fish and Andy Roddick in the final.

The win was gravy for Belarus after Victoria Azarenka won the women’s singles championship title earlier in the day.

(image: Getty Images)

A. Fisher (AUS) S. Huss (AUS) vs. M. Mirnyi (BLR)/A. Ram (ISR)

3 Novak Djokovic (SRB) def. 2 Roger Federer (SUI) 3-6 6-2 6-3
4 Andy Murray (GBR) def. 6 Juan Martin Del Potro (ARG) 6-1 5-7 6-2

Juan Martin del Potro started the match out sluggish in the opening set and was definitely tired from playing Rafael Nadal in a thriller the night before. It did not help that he was hitting everything into the net and could not hold onto his serve.

On the other end of the court, Andy Murray came out looking sharp. He moved and hit the ball well. It also did not hurt that he was keeping almost every ball in play. It is no surprise that Murray won the first set 6-1.

In the second set, del Potro started to keep more balls in play and was able to break Murray first. Murray broke back quickly. Both players then settled in and battled evenly for most of the set. By game five, the Argentine looked reinvigorated, and the crowd got behind him. He started to hit and serve better. Del Potro then struck again in game twelve for the break and the set 7-5.

In the third set, the two players were more evenly matched and were slugging it out from the baseline. Del Potro was back to playing the game that helped him overtake Nadal the night before. This did not last because Murray managed to break del Potro in the fifth game. He cruised from there to take the set and the match 6-1 5-7 6-2.

Murray will meet Nokak Djokovic in the championship on Sunday. Djokovic leads their head-to-head 4-2 with Murray winning the last two matches. Let’s hope both players keep up their level of play because the match could be a real shootout.

(image: Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)

Novak Djokovic upset Roger Federer 3-6 6-2 6-3 after 206 minutes of play. There were 10 breaks of serve in the match with Djokovic breaking Federer 6 times.

This was a good win for Djokovic who had been struggling this year partially because of changing racquets, which had affected his confidence. It also shows that he might be back in the mix with Nadal, Federer and Murray. He seems to think so from his post match interview:

I think I play on a much higher level these days and I'm playing with more confidence and self-belief. Hopefully I can continue that in the upcoming match.

Let’s just hope Djokovic and Juan Martin del Potro keep their level of play up for the year, so we might have an exciting year of tennis. Now, if the Musketeers could get it together, then the year could be electrifying.

I guess a girl can dream.

(image: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

Singles Semifinals
2 Roger Federer (SUI) vs. 3 Novak Djokovic (SRB)
4 Andy Murray (GBR) vs. 6 Juan Martin Del Potro (ARG)

Singles Quarterfinals
6 Juan Martin Del Potro (ARG) def. 1 Rafael Nadal (ESP) 6-4 3-6 7-6(3)
4 Andy Murray (GBR) def. 8 Fernando Verdasco (ESP) 6-1 6-2

Doubles Semifinals
A. Fisher (AUS)/S. Huss (AUS) def. 1 B. Bryan (USA)/M. Bryan (USA) 7-6(6) 6-4
M. Mirnyi (BLR)/A. Ram (ISR) def. J. Knowle (AUT)/J. Melzer (AUT) 4-6 7-6(8) 10-6

The marquee match between Andy Murray and Fernando Verdasco did not quiet live up to expectations. In the end, it turned out to be a routine win for Murray in straights sets 6-1 6-2 after 75 minutes of play. Injuries plagued Verdasco during the match, but that was the least of his problems. The Spaniard did not serve well and could not keep the ball inside the court or out of the net.

Murray will meet Juan Martin del Potro in the semifinals and currently leads their head-to-head 2-0. This could be a real shootout if del Potro plays like he played earlier.

(Image: Al Bello/Getty Images)

Prior to this match, Rafael Nadal had won all four of his meetings against Juan Martin del Potro without losing a set. The Argentine had done well last year to end the year ranked world number nine. Although he is currently ranked seventh in the world, the knock on Del Potro is that he fades against the top tier players. It was only going to be a matter of time before the 19-year-old made some adjustments and surprised someone.

Del Potro won in Auckland at the beginning of this year. In his next tournament, Roger Federer killed him in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open where he only won three games in the entire match. He lost routinely to Rafael Nadal in straight sets last week at Indian Wells.

On paper, this match looked like it was going to be another routine win for Nadal. Gabriela Sabatini (some of the WTA ladies, please take some notes on how not to be sleazy) was in attendance, and she must have provided some inspiration for the young Argentine.

In the opening set, del Potro went toe-to-toe with Nadal, and the set was even after eight games. The Argentine broke Nadal in the ninth game and held serve to take the first set 6-4.

In the second set, del Potro struck first with a break in third game. It looked like it was going to be lights out for Nadal, but the Spanish giant woke up. Nadal then rallied to win five games in a row and then cruised to take the second set 6-3.

Nadal jumped to a 3-0 lead in the third set. It looked like del Potro was going to fade away. The Argentine struck back by winning four games in a row to bring the set to 4-3. He had the crowd behind him and was back to giving the Mallorcan trouble.

Del Potro started serving bigger and returned to going toe-to-toe in groundstrokes with Nadal, like in the first set. He then began to give Nadal a taste of his own medicine and began to move Nadal around to eventually pull him off the court to set up the winner. Instead of finishing off points at the back of the court, he began to come forward to emphatically cut off points at the net, which proved to be fatal for the Spaniard. Nadal tried to reassert himself in the match and tried to pull del Potro off the court, but the Argentine only came up with bigger shots.

Nadal then held serve to stop the Argentinean run and level the set to 4-4. The level of Nadal’s serve dropped in the twelfth game, and del Potro had two match points in no time. Nadal staved off three match points during this game to hold serve and take the set to a tiebreak.

During the tiebreak, the two players were tied at two when the ball slid over the net to fall on del Potro’s side after a Nadal forehand, which gave the Spaniard a mini-break. It looked like it was going to be lights out for the youngster, but del Potro broke back on both of Nadal’s service points to jump ahead 4-3. The young Argentine never looked back and went on to take the tiebreak, the set and the match 6-4 3-6 7-6(3).

This is del Potro’s first big win over one of the top four, and it will take him to world number five next week. It was great to watch him ratchet up his game for the win against the world number one. Let’s hope he keeps this up and starts giving the top four some much needed trouble this year.

(images: Getty Images)

Singles Quarterfinals
1 Rafael Nadal (ESP) vs. 6 Juan Martin Del Potro (ARG)
4 Andy Murray (GBR) vs. 8 Fernando Verdasco (ESP)

Doubles Semifinals
1 B. Bryan (USA)/M. Bryan (USA) vs. A. Fisher (AUS)/S. Huss (AUS)
M. Mirnyi (BLR)/A. Ram (ISR) vs. J. Knowle (AUT)/J. Melzer (AUT)

Singles Quarterfinals
2 Roger Federer (SUI) def. 5 Andy Roddick (USA) 6-3 4-6 6-4
3 Novak Djokovic (SRB) def. 10 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA) 6-3 6-4

Doubles Quarterfinals
1 B. Bryan (USA)/M. Bryan (USA) def. 6 B. Soares (BRA)/K. Ullyett (ZIM) 7-6(1) 6-4
J. Knowle (AUT)/J. Melzer (AUT) def. R. Hutchins (GBR)/J. Kerr (AUS) 6-3 6-1
M. Mirnyi (BLR)/A. Ram (ISR) def. J. Benneteau (FRA)/J. Tsonga (FRA) 7-6(1) 7-6(5)
A. Fisher (AUS)/S. Huss (AUS) def F. Cermak (CZE)/M. Mertinak (SVK) 64 36 10-6

After losing four consecutive matches against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Novak Djokovic finally prevailed. Djokovic beat Tsonga solidly 6-3 6-4. The Serb will most likely go onto play Roger Federer in the semifinals where he will need to step up his game. Federer currently leads their head-to-head 7-2.

Djokovic is struggling this year after changing racquets, and this is his first solid win against a top player this year. At the beginning of the year, Djokovic was on course to overtake Roger Federer for the number two spot but then fell behind after unsuccessfully defending his Australian Open title. Instead of chasing down Federer for the world number two spot, he is now staving off Andy Murray for his three spot, which he has held for over 19 consecutive months. Only 570 points currently separate the two players.

In order for Murray to pass Djokovic next week, he will have to win the tournament this week, and Djokovic will have to lose in the semifinals. Murray will first have to get past Fernando Verdasco in the quarterfinals tomorrow in the grudge match of the Australian Open quarterfinals where Verdasco upset Murray.

(image: Al Bello/Getty Images)

A spotlight on Gilles Simon (Tennis.com)
Indian tennis officials assure the Australian Davis Cup team and the ITF of their security concerns (ESPN)
More discussion about Federer's quest for the reclamation of the number one spot (Boston Herald)
Marat Safin brings some reality to this discussion (MVN)

Singles Quarterfinals
2 Roger Federer (SUI) vs. 5 Andy Roddick (USA)
Head-To-Head: 16-2
3 Novak Djokovic (SRB) vs. 10 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA)
Head-To-Head: 1-4

Doubles Quarterfinals
1 B. Bryan (USA)/M. Bryan (USA) vs. 6 B. Soares (BRA)/K. Ullyett (ZIM)
R. Hutchins (GBR)/J. Kerr (AUS) vs. J. Knowle (AUT)/J. Melzer (AUT)
M. Mirnyi (BLR)/A. Ram (ISR) vs. J. Benneteau (FRA)/J. Tsonga (FRA)
F. Cermak (CZE)/M. Mertinak (SVK) vs. A. Fisher (AUS)/S. Huss (AUS)

Singles Round of 16
1 Rafael Nadal (ESP) def. 16 Stanislas Wawrinka (SUI) 7-6(2) 7-6(4)
2 Roger Federer (SUI) def. Q Taylor Dent (USA) 6-3 6-2
3 Novak Djokovic (SRB) def. 21 Tomas Berdych (CZE) 6-3 6-2
4 Andy Murray (GBR) def. Viktor Troicki (SRB) 6-1 6-0
5 Andy Roddick (USA) def. 9 Gael Monfils (FRA) 7-6(2) 6-4
6 Juan Martin Del Potro (ARG) def. 11 David Ferrer (ESP) 6-3 6-2
10 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA) def. 7 Gilles Simon (FRA) 6-7(4) 6-3 6-2
8 Fernando Verdasco (ESP) def. 18 Radek Stepanek (CZE) 6-2 6-2

Doubles Second Round
F. Cermak (CZE)/M. Mertinak (SVK) def. 4 L. Dlouhy (CZE)/L. Paes (IND) 6-3 6-3
M. Mirnyi (BLR)/A. Ram (ISR) def. 7 J. Coetzee (RSA)/ W. Moodie (RSA) 7-6(4) 3-6 10-8
R. Hutchins (GBR)/J. Kerr (AUS) def. M. Damm (CZE)/R. Lindstedt (SWE) 6-3 6-3
A. Fisher (AUS)/S. Huss (AUS) def T. Parrott (USA)/F. Polasek (SVK) 7-6(3) 7-6(4)