Men's Australian Open Draw And Predictions

Photo:  Ben Solomon

I've broken out my reading glasses, and after analyzing the draw for about an hour, here are my predictions for the Men:

First let's look at the top half of the draw where we find Rafael Nadal, Robin Soderling, Andy Murray and David Ferrer.

1.  Rafa:  He has a fairly easy cruise to the semi-finals as long as he can make it past a potential third round match with fellow countryman Feliciano Lopez or John Isner.  He could also potentially meet Ferrer, Nalbandian or Llodra in the quarter-finals.  I anticipate that he will win all of these matches, but it will be tough, and then he will meet either Soderling or Murray in the semi-finals.

2.  Soderling:  I anticipate he will also make it to the semi-finals, but he will have to get past Tsonga in the 4th round which should be a great match, and then Murray in the quarter-finals.

3.  Murray:  Unfortunately for Murray, I think his road will end when he meets Soderling in the quarter-finals. His road up till that point should be smooth sailing.  Potential bumps:  a run-in with either Melzer or Baghdatis in the 4th round.

4.  Ferrer:  I think he will make it to the 3rd round safely were he will have his first test against the winner of the Nalbandian/Hewitt match in the 1st round. (Ouch)  In the 4th round will have to battle the winner of  Llodra/Youzhny, and then if he makes it to the quarter-finals, he will play Rafa.

My predictions:   Rafa vs Ferrer and Soderling vs Murray in the quarter-finals with Rafa and Soderling progressing and Soderling going all the wall to the finals.

Now, let's take a peek at the bottom half of the draw, where we have Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Tomas Berdych and Andy Roddick.

1.  Federer:   To get the the semi-finals he has to overcome 2 fairly large American roadblocks, Mardy Fish and Andy Roddick  He would meet Fish in the 4th round and Roddick in the quarter-finals.  I think there is definitely a potential for upset if he meets an in-form Fish, and if he makes it past Fish, then he will have a tough match against either Roddick, Monfils or Wawrinka in the quater-finals.  His potential semi-final match up would be Novak Djokovic.

2.  Djokovic:  I think he has the easiest route to the semi-finals. Road blocks? Nicolas Almagro in the 4th round, and in the quarter-finals he could meet Gasquet, Davydenko, Berdych or Verdasco.   His potential semi-final match-up would be Federer.

3.  Berdych:  I honestly have no idea how Berdych will factor in his 1/2 of the draw.  His 2nd round match-up would be with Kohlschreiber, 3rd round against Gasquet, and 4th found against Davydenko.  If he can make it past them, he will fall to Djokovic in the quarter-finals.

4. Roddick:  I really want Roddick to make a run at least to the quater-finals.  His first test will be against Juan Monaco in the 3rd round, then he will have a monster match against either Gael Monfils or Stanislas Wawrinka in the 4th round. He will then meet Federer in the quarter-finals.  I would LOVE for Roddick to beat Federer, but if history tells us anything, this is where his AO bid will fail.

My predictions:  Davydenko vs Djokovic and Roddick vs Roger in the quarter-finals, with Djokovic and Roger progressing and Djokovic making it to the finals.

So there you have it:  Novak Djokovic vs Robin Soderling in the finals with Soderling living up to his name "Giant Killer" and winning his first Slam.  What do you think?

Photos: THIS is why I love David Ferrer and other photos from WTF

Because he's short, and dares to be different in his gray suit.  Love it, love him. Here are some other fab photos from the media frenzy at the World Tour Finals. Action started today. First match:  Andy Murray over Robin Soderling 6-2, 6-4. Trying to get back that number 4 spot Muzz?

Photos: Ferrer, Berdych and Soderling Play Dress Up

Oh the hilarity of boys playing dress up.  On Tuesday, Tomas Berdych, Robin Soderling, and David Ferrer learned how to wear a traditional Malaysian sarong during the Kuala Lumpur players party.  So many captions you could put here.  Here was my choice:

Soderling:  I can't get it up.

Berdych and Soderling:  Damn, for a little guy that sure is long!

Davis Cup Action: Day 1

SEMIFINAL ACTION:

Spain v Israel:

Defending Champions Spain are off to a 2-0 lead over Israel.  Both David Ferrer and Juan Carlos Ferrerro won their singles rubbers in straight sets.  Spain is the heavy favorite although they are missing their two big guns:   Rafael Nadal, who is out with an abdominal injury, and Fernando Verdasco who is out with a foot injury.  Tomorrow, Israel looks to strike back with the doubles rubber where the experienced Andy Ram and Jonathan Erlich take on Spain’s Feliciano Lopez and Tommy Robredo.

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