All right. Federer and Roddick are off to a head start, being the only ones who have advanced to the 3rd round. Yesterday Gilles Simon got Tsonga in the 1st round and had to fight to a third set tie-break. This probably shows that Tsonga can be a fair contender in Paris as well. He had just returned from injury and said he was probably happier to lose with the knowledge that he was fully fit, rather than still feeling some pain. Simon was strong in Munich last week and is certainly a player to watch this week.
Verdasco took care of Moya in straight sets and is also a player I think will get to a QF against Nadal.
As most players have settled on the dirt, it might be that there are a few black horses on the road, but looking back, Federer’s performance yesterday combined with what we’ve seen of Fed and Nadal so far this season, I believe the conclusion is the same. A Fed-Nad final is evidently most likely at this point. Who can disrupt their continuity?
In Fed’s quarter, Ferrer is the only one who is playing great on clay and will give him a drop of sweat. But I don’t think it’s a big enough threat. Potential SF opponents are Djoker, Andreev, Monaco, Gonzalez, Almagro and Nalbandian. Djokovic is IMO still the only real threat.
In Nadal’s half, there are a lot of good players, but not a lot that are good enough to beat Nadal. He could run into Murray or Wawrinka. Or like I said, Verdasco in a QF. If Verdasco finds his optimal self, who the heck knows!? But for now, SF for Nadal is a 99.9% certainty. Will the other quarter pose any threats? No way. Davydenko is always a hard nut and Robredo loves clay. Roddick… unofficially hates clay. I might not be good at predicting, but if the 4 best players arent the ones left in the semifinals, it will be a surprise.
Oh lord, clay just got boring….
