Well there was some wonderful tennis today, and I was delighted to see some of my favourite players on court, although it didn't go well for all of them.
Starting with Federer / Ferrero - what a joy to see these two playing together again. Federer played some exquisite tennis, and then, inexplicably, went away with the fairies in the second set. Ferrero - a gem of a clay courter - showed why he was once world number one. Thoroughly easy on the eye, these two.
Mind you, Federer looked tired out there - he'll need to rest well to play Seppi, who is doing very well on home turf. His match against Wawrinka was full of twists & turns & these two challenged each other throughout. It could have gone either way but in the end, Seppi did the deed! Good for him!
What a strange match between Ferrer / Simon! 6-0 & then 7-6. Simon can play some excellent tennis at times & he gave it a go in the second set. But Ferrer remained steadfast & took it in straights. I'm glad to see him get through.
The Ferrer / Gasquet QF match should be interesting. Ferrer's tenacity pitched against Gasquet's shot making. A contrast in style & hence potentially entertaining.
The Berdych / Nadal QF is also potentially interesting. If Berdych maintains his focus & determination, he ought to put up a good match with Nadal, who is looking formiddable out there. But he hasn't had a "real" challenge yet - perhaps this will be it.
Djokovic / Tsonga could go to the wire. If both play well, this will be very well contested & should be entertaining. I was sorry to see Del Potro go out. Tsonga effectively cut him off at the roots after playing an inspired first set. He'll be tough to handle if he retains his momentum, but perhaps this is just what Djokovic needs to bring his full game to life. Lets see.
One thing is for sure - there should be some good tennis tomorrow!
