Official Site: Here
Official Draw: Here
Women’s Draw Preview: Here
Top Seeds: Djokovic, Nadal, Federer, Murray, Ferrer, Tsonga, Berdych, Fish

Top Half, First Quarter

While Djokovic dominated the season last year, things are a bit different entering 2011. Despite being better than Nadal for the first half of the year, it was difficult to call a favourite heading into the US Open. This time, Djokovic is the clear favourite. This time, he’s not only the number 1 in the world, he has to defend his slam title, and the only one he’s won twice.

The good news for him is that his draw is absolutely fantastic. Perhaps the only major threat could come in the fourth round versus Raonic or Roddick. He’s likely to get Ferrer in the quarterfinal, which is the perfect fit for him considering the 5-8 seeds. Ferrer needs to run and grind down his opponents, something he won’t be able to do against a well rested and confident Novak.

Predicted Quarterfinal: Djokovic vs. Ferrer

Top Half, Second Quarter

This quarter has perhaps the most intriguing quarterfinal match-up of Murray/Tsonga. Tsonga has finally gotten himself healthy and is playing an incredibly aggressive and athletic brand of tennis that can really challenge the top 4. However, Murray does well with overpowering players and is perfectly happy to redirect the pace back at his opponents and come up with the necessary angles.

There are some tricky early tests for Murray, including Harrison and anyone out of Troicki, Llodra or Gulbis. Otherwise, a straight forward road for these two to clash in the quarters.

Predicted Quarterfinal: Murray vs. Tsonga

Bottom Half, First Quarter

This quarter comes with the most questions. A Fish/Federer quarterfinal is less than guaranteed with players like Melzer, Verdasco, Tomic and most importantly del Potro looming.

Perhaps the only two large threats to Fed are Dolgopolov, who showed flashes of brilliance last year, and Melzer, seeded at the 31 spot due to injury. One of these may test Fed, but pencil him in for the quarters one more time.

The top half of the quarter is a bit more tricky with Delpo opposite Fish. Del Potro steadily improved last year after his return and is not back to top form… or is he? Some time off, some training and a fresh outlook can do wonders. Delpo is no longer the comeback, feel good story and will likely feel like he’s out to prove himself and make that jump back into the top 10 and the ATP’s elite. His underrated defense and return of serve in a five set match gives him the edge in my book.

Predicted Quarterfinal: del Potro vs. Federer

Bottom Half, Second Quarter

Lastly we come to the quarter of Mr. Number 2, Rafael Nadal. While his results in Abu Dhabi and Doha may imply that Rafa is not ready to reclaim tennis’ top spot or the Australian title, anyone who saw him play can tell you that the flame is burning. And it’s burnin’ high.

Were there brain farts? Yes. Were there adjustments, point construction, and improvement? Absolutely. In particular, Rafa’s backhand impressed as did his movement around the court. There was just that little edge that we come to expect from Rafa. He looks much more relaxed off the court, and most importantly, he knows he needs to be better. And so the hunted becomes the hunter.

On the other side of the coin is what could be a tricky quarter for Berdych. His form right now is anyone’s guess, but he’ll have the oppurtunity to work his way into the tournament. That being said, he has been known to stumble, and a possible showdown versus a hot Almagro and a semi-hometown favourite Baghdatis may be a tough ask.

Predicted Quarterfinal: Almagro vs. Nadal
Predicted Semifinals: Djokovic vs. Murray, Federer vs. Nadal
Predicted Final: Djokovic vs. Nadal
Predicted Champion: Novak Djokovic

Official Site: Here
Draw: Here
Top Seeds: Wozniacki, Kvitova, Azarenka, Sharapova, Li, Radwanska, Stosur, Zvonareva

Top Half, First Quarter

While this quarter is a potential Wozniacki/Li match-up, Clisters roams in what is otherwise a very attractive looking quarter for the big names. Amazingly, Kim falls on Nails’ side, meaning they could meet in the fourth round in a rematch of last years final. That is the closest they could have been, due to seeding. As of right now, the edge has to go to Nails who has looked fantastic in Sydney. Kim is fighting injuries and her inconsistency may do her in, despite her game matching up well. Regardless, if that does happen, it will be mandatory evening (or middle of the night) viewing.

A quarterfinal finish, at the least, is a must for Caro. She has an incredibly favourable draw and should cruise to the fourth round. There she will likely meet Jankovic or Safarova and should move through.

Predicted Quarterfinal: Wozniacki vs. Li

Top Half, Second Quarter

If there’s a quarter serving up a ton of fantastic first and second round matches, this has to be it. Wickmayer/Voskoboeva, Rezai/Peng, Azarenka/Watson and numerous other match-ups happening the rounds to follow. The Sydney final will give us a preview of the potential quarterfinal battle, Azarenka/Radwanska, which is a difficult match to call.

Surely Azarenka has to be the massive favourite for this quarter. A resurgent Pennetta may prove tricky in the fourth round, but should be beatable with where Azarenka’s game is right now. Despite what should be some fantastic matches…

Predicted Quarterfinal: Azarenka vs. Radwanska

Bottom Half, First Quarter

This quarter is incredibly packed and even more difficult to predict. The fourth rounds would be Serena/Zvonareva and Lisicki/Sharapova. Other big names lurk around the corner with Kanepi (3r Zvonareva), Kuznetsova (3r Lisicki) and Cibulkova and Marino who could play in the second round for the chance to play Serena.

At the same time, it’s difficult to know how players like Zvonareva (who bounced early in Sydney and Lisicki and Serena (injuries) are feeling right now. In other words, though it might seem difficult for some of the lower ranked players to squeeze through, the opportunity may be there.

Due to Serena winning this tournament the last time she was here combined with her fitness level, it is difficult to rule out her chances in this quarter.

Predicted Quarterfinal: Williams vs. Lisicki

Bottom Half, Second Quarter

This quarter features what should be Kvitova/Stosur, but a match that is highly unlikely, in my opinion. Stosur struggles at home and typically early in the season. Kvitova has asthma problems and the brutal Aussie heat does her no favours (thanks Ana!).

With that in mind, this may be the weakest overall quarter of the draw which could help see the big names through. Look for Bartoli, in Stosur’s section, to get on a roll and make some noise.

Predicted Quarterfinal: Bartoli vs. Kvitova

Predicted Semifinals: Wozniacki vs. Azarenka, Williams vs. Bartoli
Predicted Final: Azarenka vs. Williams
Predicted Champion: Serena Williams

Boring? Maybe. But this is a tournament that Serena loves and after missing out her chance to defend it?… Scary times, people.

Combined – Sydney (Premier and 250)

Official Site: Here
Draws: Men & Women
Top Men Seeds: Delpo, Isner, Gasquet, Feli Lopez
Top Women Seeds: Woz, Kvits, Azarenka, Nails

The beginning of the year has been a strange time for the past few years. Typically Fed and Rafa peace out to Doha for the first week of the season, which seemingly takes place in an alternate universe. Djokovic doesn’t even bother. The rest of the events scrounge together what recognizable names they can find and do what they can. Then everyone comes together for the big show.

For the ladies, nearly everyone gets their cuts in somewhere, and almost everyone chooses to play Sydney. This year, nearly every top lady entered, pushing someone seemingly automatically in to a big tournament, Maria Kirilenko, into the qualifying draw (which she was eventually bounced out of).

While the men’s draw largely lacks any dark horses or big names overall, it is home to del Potro as it’s top seed. It is tough to know exactly what we’ll get from the big man this year. His return to the tour was not the Delpo we saw in 2009, and as expected. However, this may be the year that the big man gets back into his groove and there is no reason that that shouldn’t happen. Every tennis fan should scout out his form heading to Melbourne.

The ladies’ field is absolutely packed and has already featured a ton of big name matches that you would expect to see in the second week of a slam. And therein lies the rub. It may be tricky to know exactly how some of these players are feeling (I’m looking at you, Zvonareva) heading into the Melbourne. A quick loss here does not mean that they won’t find a way to work themselves into the Open and find success. Regardless, a must watch tournament with fantastic match-ups each and every day, guaranteed.

Women – Hobart (International)

Official Site: Here
Draw: Here
Top Seeds: Wicky, AMG, Niculescu, Kerber

Hobart does not have a terrible draw considering Sydney is happening at the same time. Some names that could make some noise in Melbourne (Wicky, Peer, Pironkova… Cirstea…) and a pretty even draw overall. On a personal note, sometimes watching these smaller, laid back tournaments can be incredibly relaxing and can really give off the laid-back atmosphere of outer courts at other tournaments. Nerds only!

Men – Auckland (250)

Official Site: Here
Draw: Here
Top Seeds: Ferrer, Almagro, Verdasco, Chela

It’s all about the Spaniards in Auckland, as tennis’ Energizer Bunny gets to work on his season. Ferrer had what he called his greatest season of his career last year as he became a mental and physical force that seemed to defy his age and time spent on court. He has to be the overwhelming favourite to take this tournament, and has to be a name to watch out for in anyone’s part of the draw in Melbourne. Special shout out to Verdasco, who looks incredibly fit and played well in the Hopman Cup. Surprise Melbourne run to come?

Official Site: Here
Draw: Here
Top Seeds: Wozniacki, Zvonareva, Sharapova, Azarenka, Li, Kvitova, Schiavone, Bartoli

Top Half, First Quarter

Initial Thoughts: The top quarter is always the top seeds to lose, and in this case, it is very much open for Wozniacki. Jarka, Kuz, and Dani all lurk in her eighth, with a smattering of other lower ranked, beatable players.

The second eighth is a different story. It is similarly underwhelming in overall quality, and on paper, it would be Nails/Petko in the round of 16. While the Chinese does have a habit of peaking for the majors, she’s had such a rough lead up, it’s really tough to know if that will be the case again. Even if she does get that far, I’m not sure I like her chances.

Look Out For… It’s happening today, so this is a tad late, but youngster Simona Halep has some solid game (especially when she can keep her head straight, which is rare) and takes on Nails Tuesday. That might get messy. Jie Zheng has also made a solid return to the tour, taking a set off Serena in Toronto and looking more than up to the task. A second round match-up with Petko could be a tricky one.

Predicted Quarterfinalists: Petkovic vs. Wozniacki

Top Half, Second Quarter

Initial Thoughts: This quarter is all about the possible third round match between Serena and Vika, one that looks very likely to happen. Azarenka has given Serena problems in the past, despite coming up rather short in Toronto. For me, her inability to adapt or mix it up in Toronto was a huge sticking point; it’s difficult to impossible to out hit Serena from the back of the court when she’s on. Regardless, that should be an intense, night time blockbuster match.

The flip side of the quarter, featuring Schiavone, Jankovic, MJMS, and Pavs is anyone’s guess.

Look Out For… Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez. A tricky player in an open draw. We’ve seen players like this sneak their way through draws, either in Toronto or Cincy or in slams of the past couple years, and she might just be this tournament’s “huh?” quarterfinalist.

Predicted Quarterfinalists: VWilliams vs. Schiavone

Bottom Half, Top Quarter

Initial Thoughts: Having completed most of the matches in this quarter, I am cheating a bit, but the only real upset was Kvitova which, in all honesty, was not insanely surprising.

All eyes are on Sharapova in this quarter, who has looked rather shakey all hard court season, and did so in her first match, rather unsurprisingly. Luckily for her, the draw is kind. Filled with mostly players she can simply hit off the court, she should be fine making it to the quarters. With her draw and form of late, Radwanska should be an almost automatic pick to ninja her way to the quarters.

Look Out For… Shuai Peng is the very type of player that can cause Sharapova problems. She absorbs pace well, can mix it up and play great defense. There still has to be some doubts about her health, however.
Lucie Safarova is another one to keep an eye on, quietly having a solid summer and could cause Radwanska problems if they meet.

Predicted Quarterfinalists: Radwanska vs. Sharapova

Bottom Half, Bottom Quarter

Initial Thoughts: This quarter must be the strongest overall, without a doubt, and the one likely to cause the most upset and produce some of the best tennis. Unproven youngsters, up-and-comers, steely veterans, you name it, this quarter has it.

Lisicki/VWilliams, Stosur/Petrova, Robson/Zvonareva, you name it. Huge matches early on, and it only gets juicier as the seeds collide.

Look Out For… Youngsters McHale (who gets Bartoli) Falconi (vs. Cibulkova) and Robson (vs. AMG) are all in this quarter and all have opponents they could beat. As well as being a feast for “big babe” style lovers, this could also provide a few surprises as well.

Predicted Quarterfinalists: Lisicki vs. Stosur

Predicted Semifinals: SWilliams vs. Petkovic, Sharapova vs. Stosur
Final: SWilliams vs. Sharapova
Champion: Serena Williams

Combined – Cincinnati (Masters 1000 & Premier 5)

Official Site: Here
Draws: Men & Women
Top Men Seeds: Nole, Rafa, Fed, Muzz, Ferrer, Monf, Fish, T-Berd
Top Women Seeds: Caro, Vera, Vika, Masha, Nails, Kvitova, Schiavone, Bartoli

Another week, another jam packed ATP draw as the top men pack it up and move to Cincinnati. Once again, all eyes are on He Who Cannot Lose, Mr. Djokovic, as he continues to improve on an already insanely great season.

The first half would set up some familiar match-ups, Djokovic/Monfils and Federer/Berdych in the quarterfinals. Federer will have to take out Delpo in the second round, however. Berdych has Pico and Nico. Djokovic is looking good to go once again, as he should be able to out last a quarter also featuring Isner, Stan, Feli and Ernie. Yup, safe to pencil him in for the final once again.

The bottom half has some immediately interesting match-ups. If everything holds up, quarters are Ferrer/Murray and Nadal/Fish. Murray has Nalbandian and then possibly Tsonga or Cilic just to possibly Ferrer, which is not a kind draw. Things are similar for Fish, who could have Davydenko and Gasquet just for the right to take on Nadal in the quarterfinals. That being said, Fish is playing the greatest tennis of his life, is extremely motivated, and has had success in Cincinnati before. Keep an eye on him.

Things look pretty similar for the WTA side of things. Big names and earlier match-ups. The top half would line up Wozniacki/Kvitova and Azarenka/Schiavone for the quarters, but there’s a lot in the way of that happening. In particular, doubles partners Ivanovic and Petkovic who may take on Wozniacki and Kvitova respectfully. Both of the latter players looked rusty and out of sorts in Toronto, and might be in for more than they bargained for early on in Cincinnati.

The bottom half is absolutely loaded, including the much talked about Williams/Stosur second round re-match of the Toronto final. Nails and Masha lurk around in that quarter. Your guess is as good as mine.
For the final quarter, we have Bartoli/PavsFlavs and Bepa/JJ if everything holds up. Dani is also hanging around, and is likely going to play Pavs Flavs in a tasty second round match-up.

All in all, things aren’t too ridiculously different compared to Toronto and Montreal. Very solid fields that are pretty evenly spread out but are far from straight forward. I’m looking forward to another great week of tennis.

Photo: Cincy Images

Hello everyone! I’ve been on a bit of a tennis break mostly due to going on vacation, but I’m back in full this week and am looking forward to a ton of great tennis this week. Let’s do this.

Stanford – WTA (Premier)

Official Site: Here
Draw: Here
Top Seeds: Vika, Masha, Marion, Sam, A-Rad, Julia, Ana, Domi (oh, and Serena)

As per usual, Stanford plays host to a jam packed, exciting draw. Keeping in mind the top seeds, Serena, and the fact that it’s a 28 player draw, we are going to have some juicy early round matches. Oh, did I mention Sabine (possible second round match with Sam), Rebecca Marino (possible second round match with Marion) and Dani (possible second round match with Masha) are playing too? Delicious. This tournament should be fantastic by Wednesday, I can’t wait. And if for some reason you don’t already know, there is going to be excellent coverage over at Forty Deuce as well.

College Park – WTA (International)

Official Site: Here
Draw: Here
Top Seeds: Shahar, Petrova, Paszek, Dokic

The inaugural Citi Open in Maryland, while not boasting the same star power as Stanford, should prove to be an exciting one. Highlighted by big hitting veterans Shahar, Petrova, and Dokic, there are also a ton of intriguing up-and-coming young players, such as Bojana, Sloane Stephens, Genie Bouchard, Heather Watson, and the list goes on. Even if it is a veteran who ends up winning the tournament, this could be a great chance for a couple of young guns to rake in some much needed points and squeeze them into US Open qualifying or main draw contention.

Gstaad – ATP (250)

Official Site: Here
Draw: Here
Top Seeds: Nico, Stan, The Youz, FeVer

The clay season: yes it goes on and on my friends. What guys like Youz and Feli are doing in Switzerland instead of preparing for the hard court season, a surface they should prefer, is beyond me. But hey, it sure is pretty there, no?

Regardless, Gstaad has one squeaky clean looking draw. All eight seeds are in the top 50, and six of them are from Spain. Have fun, you silly clay rats.

Umag – ATP (250)

Official Site: Here
Draw: Here
Top Seeds: Chela, Dolgopolov, Ljubs, Marin

The most surprising thing about this tournament? Mr. Clean Ljubicic is ranked above Marin Cilic. Dude. Get it together.

Otherwise, it’s similar to the above, minus some of the bigger, more recognizable names. Still, there’s some solid clay players and others of intrigue (JCF, Haase) that make this tournament worth watching.

Los Angeles – ATP (250)

Official Site: Here
Draw: Here
Top Seeds: The Fishy One, Delpo, Baggy, Thomaz

Unfortunately there isn’t quite the depth to the Los Angeles tournament that we might be used to, but there sure are some sweet match-ups. First round? Dimitrov/Haas. Gonzo is here too, after a pretty fantastic Wimbledon, all things considered. The Tryin’ Ryan American combo of Sweeting/Harrison is also here, taking on Somdev and Berankis in the first round respectively.

Wilfrid Baddeley, 1891 Wimbledon Men’s Singles Champion

Ladies’ draw preview below and here.

Top Half – First Quarter

Realistically, this is a great draw for Rafa and everything points towards him cruising to the semis. Milos could cause him some problems, which would be a third round match-up. Delpo or Gilles await in the fourth round. And with talk of rain and wet weather slowing down the courts, that can only help Rafa. He’s in the semis easily.

Quarterfinal: Fish vs. Nadal

Top Half – Second Quarter

Once again, a very do-able draw for the top seed Murray. He could have a tricky opponent in the fourth round, taking on the winner of Stan/Richie. Stan took Muzz to four sets in that epic late match under the roof two years ago, and Richie has had success at Wimby and has been hot of late.

On the other side of the quarter, Muzz has the always dangerous Roddick, who has a very, very nice draw. Unfortunately, I think Muzz’s confidence and returning have really improved since two years ago, and Roddick’s serve isn’t quite as consistent as it once was so…

Quarterfinal: Murray vs. Roddick

Bottom Half: First Quarter

Things are looking solid for Fed here, who has to be a huge favourite this year after having a fantastic Roland Garros run. If his serve looks sharp early on, watch out, because his ground strokes definitely do. Watch out for Tree, too. I really tried to shine the light on him last year, and jinxed him like mad. I still think he could be a huge force on grass if the courts are playing quickly, and I expect him to beat Mahut in straights. Much like Ivo has found success at Wimbledon, Tree could do the same. Tough to lose if you can’t get broken (the breaking part is another story…)

The top half is pretty weak, and is great for Jo and Ferru.

Quarterfinal: Tsonga vs. Federer

Bottom Half – Second Quarter

If I were to put money on one of the top 4 not making the semis, it would be Nole. He has struggled to find success in England in the past, and a similar result would not be entirely surprising. At the same time, we can’t forget how insanely well he’s played this well, in particular his returning and the speed of his ground strokes. To boot, his confidence is through the roof. The combination of these things means that he shouldn’t have the typical early round jitters and his draw is pretty favourable.

Quarterfinal: Soderling vs. Djokovic

Semifinals: Nadal vs. Murray, Federer vs. Djokovic
Final: Murray vs. Federer
Champion: Federer

Top Half – First Quarter

Realistically, this is probably Masha’s quarter to lose. She looked fantastic on grass before losing to Serena last year, in a match that was much closer than the scoreboard. Obviously, her current form is a lot better than last year, and she should be able to hammer through a significant portion of her quarter.

The crash course fourth rounders are Caro/Julia or Jarka and Sam/Masha. Sam seems to be slowly figuring out grass, and using her serve to her advantage. I think there might be some really intriguing early round matches here, but I’m taking Masha to make the semis.

Quarterfinal: Wozniacki vs. Sharapova

Top Half – Second Quarter

This quarter is absolutely jam packed with potentially delicious match-ups, including one right from the off, Bojangles/Simona. While a quick glance might point towards an easy Nails/Serena quarterfinal match. However, there are dark creatures that lurk in the depths of this quarter.

To start: Sabine. Simply put, I’m not sure there’s a picture of her in the last month where she is not beaming ear to ear. And she’s playing absolutely amazing tennis. She’s reached the quarters here before, and her serve is absolutely devastating. When her forehand is on and she’s not being psycho aggressive, which she seems to be getting a handle on, she can simply blow people off the court on fast surfaces. I’m really liking her chances for the upset of Na Li in the second round.

Also in the category of “playing well and had success here before” is Marion, who had a career run at Roland Garros and just won Eastbourne. She’s oozing confidence, and to be honest, when she’s in the mood, she’s one of the best fighters on tour, even if that constant bouncing makes me want to throw something.

In all honesty, your guess is as good as mine for this quarter. It’s impossible to count Serena out at Wimbledon, and she has a good draw. At the same time, questions about her health remain, and she was missing a lot of easy shots in Eastbourne. That’s not the kind of thing you can just iron out in a week after being away from the game for a year. I’m going to go out on a crazy freaking limb and say…

Quartefinal: Lisicki vs. Bartoli

Bottom Half – First Quarter

In my opinion, this is the most wide open quarter and is most likely to field a surprise semifinalist. I would say the four favourites would be Vika, Dani, Pavs and Petko, probably in that order. Vika’s health has been iffy all year however, and Dani faced injury problems in Eastbourne. I’ll roll the dice a bit on this on and say that Pavs finally makes her breakthrough, with a favourable draw and prime time ground strokes.

Quarterfinal: Petkovic vs. Pavlyuchenkova

Bottom Half: Second Quarter

Another wide open quarter, there’s some sleepers here who have a real chance at going far. Kvitova, Wicky, Kuz, and JJ stand out. Venus and Bepa are the favourites however. I’m not so sure Venus is going to do too well here, to be honest. Going with the favourites here.

Quarterfinal: Kvitova vs. Bepa

Semifinals: Sharapova vs. Bartoli, Pavlyuchenkova vs. Zvonareva
Final: Sharapova vs. Zvonareva
Champion: Sharapova

For me, the real business end of a slam starts with the quarterfinals. With only 8 players left in the draw, the possibilities no longer seem endless, and we can start looking at who has the most legitimate shot at the title with only 3 wins needed to take the it all. Let’s looks at what we have.

Men’s Top Half

The obvious intrigue of this half is Rafa/Sod, who meet for the third time in as many years at Roland Garros. On paper, Rafa is the obvious favourite. Considering his recent form, however, he might not be… but, Sod has hardly been the player he was last year either. I can’t help but think the match will be a tale of two halves. Rafa has been a slow starter for most of this tournament (and often through the year) whereas Sod had some serious trouble closing out Gilles today and was going through periods of really passive play. If Sod takes the first set, everyone should stay calm. Other than the fact that it’s Rafa, obviously, I fully expect this match to develop over the course of several hours with some big time momentum swings.

Below, clay grinder and veteran Chela awaits the winner of Muzz/Troicki. I actually really like Chela’s chance here, even though he’s played two 5 setters and one 4 setter already this week. Vik and Andy need to finish off their 5 setter tomorrow and then play again the next day. Even though Andy is the favourite to move through, even with a wonky ankle, he’ll be seriously up against it versus an even more rested Chela.

Men’s Bottom Half

With Nole already through, a Fed/Nole crash course seems inevitable, unless Monf can harness the crowd and pull off what I would consider the impossible against Fed. Fed has silently been moving through the draw with ease, especially considering what he had to endure to win the tournament 2 years ago. Does that put him in a position to take out Nole? Probably not. Nole got a free pass from Foghat, so he’ll be well rested, but Fed can hope that he might be well rusted as well. Fed will definitely need his A game in terms of his backhand, and probably a bit of help from the tennis gods if he wants to reach the final again.

Women’s Top Half

Was the women’s draw “wide open” from the beginning? Yes. Is it wide open right now? Yes. Is the caliber of players low? Hell no. With a mix of older powerhouses, young talent, and the resurgence of Sharapova, this is a quality last 8 without a player from the top 16 seeds. To boot, the champions of the past two years, Fran and Kuz, are still in, as well as 3 time slam winner Masha and slam finalists Nails and Marion.

If you’re a neutral, and maybe even if you’re not, you really, really want Fran/Kuz to happen again, after they slugged out the longest women’s match in history in Australia this January. Kuz has played quite well this tournament, and is looking really consistent, by her standards. Versus a hometown favourite Marion, whose worst surface is clay, that should be a winnable match.

Fran has a much more difficult test in the free swinging Pavs. Fran has never really had much problem with absorbing pace, and often uses it to her advantage. I’m thinking her consistent patterns of play will outdo Pavs who is likely to fire off a lot of errors, and we’ll have our dream semifinal.

Women’s Bottom Half

Last but not least, we have Nails/Vika and Masha/Petko. Nails and Vika might prove to be the closest and most interesting match-up of all. Both have been fantastically solid and have similar games. Vika is the favourite, but it should be a tight one. Let’s hope so anyway.

Masha should be able to deal with Petko, but both have had periods of brilliant play, interlaced with periods of boneheaded play. I think the consistency of their backhands is going to be key, as well as Masha’s serving, which has held up well so far this tournament. Petko is probably going to need to play the match of her career, to get through… which she just might do.

As many of you have heard on Twitter, I’ve decided to flip my regular “The Week Ahead” posts into a podcast. This is my first test run. And I mean that. I’m still getting used to editing things, and it’s a bit strange talking to no one. At the same time, I edited it up so it goes pretty quick (it’s only 16 minutes) and sounds a bit like a Sunday afternoon radio program or something.

Hopefully you like it, I’m sure my Roland Garros one will end up sounding much more confident, and be a lot more interesting. This really was just meant as a test run so the RG one can be solid.

I can’t quite figure how to get it to my web disk right now (to eventually set it up with iTunes), but I’ve got it on Soundcloud. You can listen right on this site, or jump to Soundcloud to get a download of it. Thanks guys.

Music provided by Coheed and Cambria. If for some reason you haven’t heard of them, check them out, and if you have, please support.

MTR Podcast – May 16 2011 by Mind The Racket