Favorites Nadal, Henin Head French Quarters
What an uninteresting Sweet 16 at the French Open the last two days. Aside from the Maria Sharapova-Patty Schnyder debacle the matches weren’t exactly memorable. In fact, I can barely remember them now. But heck, at least the favorites made it through setting up some pretty tasty quarterfinal matches. Let’s start with the women.
The match of the round, either men or women, has to be Serena and Henin in a reprise of their Roland Garros classic a few years back. In my mind the winner will likely go on to take the title. That said, I’ll tab Henin in this one. This is her surface, her event, and she’s looked sharper of the two thus far. I’ll also take Jankovic, Kuznetsova and in a mild upset, Chakvetadze to take out Maria Sharapova. ADHEREL
Moving onto the men. Roger Federer’s looked good so far, but I fully expect Tommy Robredo to thoroughly test him Tuesday and maybe even snake a set. The other quarterfinal, Nikolay Davydenko and Guillermo Canas, is a tough one to call. Both players are basically backboards, and both can track down just about every ball. What I like about Davydenko, though, is that he’s can hit through a clay court a little bit more than Canas, and I think he has a bit more power. So i’ll give the slight edge to Nikolay in four.
As for Wednesday, Rafael Nadal is still the man beat and still will be after he beats his buddy Carlos Moya. In the second quarterfinal I think Novak Djokovic will have a lot of problems with Igor Andreev but the Serb will get through.
A Nadal-Federer final is still looking good. I think Rafa has all but booked his ticket whereas Federer’s big test will come in the semifinals against either Davydenko or Canas. Weather permitting of course…
You Might Like:
Serena Willams Might Open 2010 Tennis Season Against Henin in Sydney
Henin, Sharapova Face Serbian Challenge at French Open
Henin Streak Ends at French Open; Stosur to Face Serena Williams
French Open Odds – Nadal, Henin Favorites
Clijsters Saves Match Points, Tops Henin for Brisbane Title