Tokyo should not be ignored. It’s a big tournament with big chunk of money and ranking points. First couple of rounds have been played and 3rd round will finally have some interesting matches.
Ferrer, the def champ, will have to pass the Japan test tomrrow by beating WC Suzuki. Suzuki took out Bolelli and will face a Ferrer who hasn’t been stable these past few months.
Del Potro will play Nieminen and show if he’s up for a clash with Ferrer (or Suzuki). Del Potro is hunting points for a Shanghai debut and is not very far from Ferrer in the race. A few more decent results and he can make it.
The biggest upset tomorrow will be Nishikori defeating Gasquet. I don’t know the odds here, but put some cash on Nishikori. He seems to be a hot home favorite. We know Gasquet can break down easy.
Schuettler-Youzhny has also the potential to be a good match. None of them hunt points for Shanghai, but not having results to show is reason enough to power through.
Robredo will play Berdych. Two very anonymous players this summer (even spring) and are also far from any Shanghai hope. However, Berdych is getting ready for indoor season, which I think he prefers over any other season.
Delic was able to beat Querrey in 2 sets, and will have to fight with Gonzo for a QF spot. Gonzo was 1-6 and 5-all down before he started to play tennis against LU? I say Delic has a chance.
Tsonga might be on his way back. I’ve seen “experts” hinting that maybe he can pull a “2007-Nalby fall.” He won last week, we know he has the talent to do it again, right? He has to pass Troicki, who I’ve seen play some great matches this year. Another Serbian on the rise.
On the very bottom lies Melzer vs Roddick. Roddick has beaten Melzer on clay, so I guess tomorrow shouldn’t be a problem. But even with the win in Beijing, Roddick needing 3 breakers and 37 freakin’ aces to beat Minar, is not a good sign! He should be able to limit the physical damage in the very first match.
Potential QFs are atually quite good-looking, here are my tips.
Ferrer – Del Potro
Nishikori – Youzhny
Berdych – Delic
Tsonga – Roddick
