Tomas Berdych CZE (12) vs. Rafael Nadal ESP (2). For the first time I will be watching a grand slam final live, on site. Sadly, it is also the first time in 8 years that my favorite male player Roger Federer will not be in the Wimbledon men's final. It's also doubtful that this year's final will be as monumental a battle as the 2008 classic now called "the match of the century" won by Rafael Nadal or Federer's 2009 triumph of will over Andy Roddick.

I have previously predicted the results of the quarterfinals (1 of 4) and semifinals (0 of 2), so clearly I've not been having great results in predicting the men's matches this year. It's also difficult to pick a winner between Tomas Berdych and Rafael Nadal. On paper, Nadal should win since he has a 7-3 career head-to-head record against the young Czech. However, clearly Berdych is not the same player who has lost to Nadal 7 times.

Berdych is playing in his first Grand Slam final, which very few people win (Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Andy Roddick and Robin Soderling have all failed to do so. Juan Martin del Potro is the exception which proves the rule.) The great ones (like Federer and Nadal) do. Will Berdych be following in the footsteps of his countryman Ivan Lendl and become a late-blooming great?

[Correction by Craig Hickman: In addition to del Potro, Rafa and Raja, Andy Roddick (USO 2003), Lleyton Hewitt (US Open 2001), and Gaston Gaudio (Roland Garros 2004) are all active players who won their first Slam final. Of the recently officially retired, Gustavo Kuerten (Roland Garros 1997), Marat Safin (US Open 2001), Thomas Johansson (Australian Open 2002) and Albert Costa (Roland Garros 2002) did as well. Some of these players are great, some are not.]

If Berdych wins today, he will become the first player to beat the World #3, World #2 and World #1 to win a slam. This would definitely be an indication he is on his way to a Lendly-like career, instead of a Soderling-like career.

If Nadal wins today, he will have completed the Roland Garros-Wimbledon double for the second time, will have a 14-match undefeated streak at Wimbledon and will have claimed his 8th Grand Slam title, just 8 behind Roger Federer, despite being 5 years his junior.

MadProfessah's prediction: Nadal (in 3 or 4 sets).

BY MAD PROFESSAH

Here are my predictions for the men's semifinals at the Wimbledon Championships for 2010.
I previously made predictions for the men's quarterfinals (1 of 4 correct) and the women's quarterfinals (2 of 4 correct).

by Craig Hickman

The Uluru/Ayers Rock Award
For the player who emerged almost out of nowhere and glowed red at sunset



Nicolas Almagro for his late-match, red-hot surge against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the fourth round.

The Red Kangaroo Award
For the player who made the biggest leap



Marin Cilic finally jumped over Juan Martín del Potro at a Slam and landed in his first major semifinal. Too bad all his five-setters caught up with him after winning the first set against Andy Murray.

The Twelve Apostles Award
For the player who rose up to produce the most rock solid game amidst the imminent threat of being washed away



Serena Williams for yet another ledge-end-ary comeback Down Under against Victoria Azarenka in the quarterfinals.

The Koala Award
For the player you just wanted to pick up and hug



Zheng Jie after being stampeded by her idol in the semifinals.

The Great Barrier Reef Award
For the player who created the largest tectonic uplift in the draw



Nadia Petrova for severely eroding Kim Clijsters in the third round.

The Aboriginal Award
For the veteran player who achieved the most success with his native talents



Roger Federer's movement throughout this fortnight was surprisingly efficient. Wasn't that long ago I thought he'd lost a step. If his training regimen doesn't include some combination of ballet, tango/mambo, waltz, tap or Tai Chi, I'd be shocked.

The Tasmanian Devil Award
For the player who delivered the best nocturnal performance



Jo-Wilfried Tsonga against Tommy Haas in the third round.

The Outback Award
For the wildest match of the fortnight



Li Na def. Venus Williams 2-6, 7-6(4), 7-5, Quarterfinals

Venus opened as though she'd run through the match like a river. But the last set and a half was one exhausting expanse of barren terrain. How many times did you think it might never end? Arguably the ugliest televised match of the fortnight, it becomes an early frontrunner for worst match of the year.

The Three Dingoes Award
For the players who fell prey to their own hunting



Igor Andreev and Nikolay Davydenko for their gigantic chokes against Roger Federer in the first round and quarterfinals, respectively, and Alisa Kleybanova for her total collapse against Justine Henin.

And for a few of our more traditional awards:

Best Dressed
Lleyton Hewitt and Samantha Stosur, Australia



Reuters



Getty

Best WTA Match
Serena Williams def. Justine Henin 6-4, 3-6, 6-2, Final


Reuters

I didn't realize how riveting was this tug of war between two of the tour's most decorated champions till watching it a second time.

Best ATP Match (Tie)
Juan Martín del Potro def. James Blake 6-4, 6-7(3), 5-7 6-3 10-8, Second Round


Reuters

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga def. Nicolas Almagro, 6-3 6-4 4-6 6-7(6) 9-7, Round of 16


Reuters

Both featured one tiebreak and went into overtime in the fifth set. Both featured surprisingly exquisite performances from the losing warriors. Both could have continued for another hour. The electrifying tennis sticks in my memory like good preaching.

Speaking of preaching.
I need a day of rest.
At least.

See you when I see you.

Reuters

"That was sweet," Roger Federer said to Wayne McEwan, tournament referee, shortly after subduing Andy Murray 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(11) in two hours and 41 minutes on Rod Laver arena last night.

With the victory, Raja wins his fourth Australian Open crown and his 16th Slam title, moving his championship accomplishments into a higher stratosphere.

As peytonallen commented:

What else can you say about Federer? He played great. He missed the Grand Slam last year by a few games. With Rafa on walkabout, and Fed already slaying his French demons its [sic] not unrealistic to follow this story. Especially when his rivals continue to fall.

The man is approaching 29 and he's proving to be in superior shape against everyone else on tour. When was the last time this guy sprained an ankle? To be this age in his tennis career and not really miss any time for injuries is remarkable. I used to doubt his boasts that he could go into his mid-30s, but really he looks just as fresh now as he did at 22.

I think its [sic] impossible to pick a greatest player of all-time, only the greatest of his era, or the greatest 'careers.' Fed is having a career no other male player dared dream. He's 2 slams away from tying [Chris] Evert and Martina [Navratilova]. A player on the ATP could have 18 slams. Laughable. If he gets there by the US Open, wouldn't his attention have to turn to the all-time record, men and women's? Which is, what? 22? I'm being lazy and not looking but he's not stopping.

The Fed storyline in the last year has really come out of a comic book alternative universe plot. After looking mentally broken from the first part of the year after the [Rafael] Nadal defeat his biggest rival, a man some were ready to proclaim as the better player goes down with injury and mental fatigue. The result has been Federer's wonderland.

I wonder if whoever is writing this decides its [sic] time to reintroduce the Nadal character into the storyline? I know many of the book's readers think so.

I love it when someone else does my work.

For me, I hoped the match would go five sets, but I always believed it would be over in three. Thus, the "ass on a silver runner-up platter" prediction. The outcome was just never in doubt. Yes, Murray put up a fight to not go down two breaks of serve in the second set. Yes, Murray played some great tennis to get a break midway though the second set, but it took a string of errors from Raja to even get the chance. Yes, the 24-point tiebreak was dramatic, with the outcome of the set in doubt as the score teetered from set point to championship point.

But the outcome of the match was never in doubt. Even if Murray had won the tiebreak, we knew Raja would win the fourth. Even when Murray served for the third set at 5-3, we knew he wouldn't close.


Reuters

Why? Because despite all the childish and brotherly mind games the players indulged in before the match, Murray openly admitted that he's not trying to win Slams for himself. Despite my belief that he simply doesn't possess the requisite weaponry to win a Slam, there's simply no way the mindset expressed in this exchange is going to produce a champion.

Q. Is there any extra motivation for you to know that you could be the one to break a long Grand Slam drought for Britain?

ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, I mean, I'd obviously love to do it. It's not really the only reason, you know, that I want to win a slam. I want to win it, you know, obviously for the people that I work with, for my parents and stuff, who obviously helped me when I was growing up, then doing it for British tennis and British sport would be excellent, as well.

But, you know, the pressure that I feel doesn't come from the people that are around me. They obviously are happy with anything that I do. But, you know, I want to win for them first.

It's one thing to read this exchange, it was quite another to witness it on television. Murray's body language and countenance betrayed a sense of resignation. I suppose living your life for other people and not (yet?) being able to find the desire to live for yourself can produce the demeanor he displayed during this exchange.

If Murray is to prove me wrong and mature to a point where he can actually play for himself, develop some weapons, and win a Slam, he's going to need to extract himself from the mental war he's allowed Raja to draw him into. He's going to need to do what Mats Wilander hoped and not "give a shit about Britian."

As for Raja. Having claimed his first major as a father, I suspect he'll win many more. One of his new stated goals is to hoist a trophy when his twin girls are old enough to appreciate their father's triumph. We have no reason to believe he won't stay healthy long enough to achieve it. And we know if Andre Agassi was still winning major titles into his thirties, Raja will also be motivated to improve upon that by winning more.

For now, it's up to Juan Martín del Potro and Rafael Nadal to stop him.


Reuters


Getty

by Mad Professah

I predicted the results of 3 of the 4 the men's quarterfinals correctly but only 1 of 4 of the women's quarterfinals correctly. I have already written my women's semifinals preview. Here is my preview of the men's semfinals in the 2010 Australian Open:

Roger Federer SUI (1) vs. Novak Djokovic SRB (3) Jo-Wilfried Tsonga FRA (10). For the twenty-third consecutive time, Roger Federer is in a major grand slam semifinal. Let me say that again. 23 times in a row. That is nearly 6 years of every slam. The next closest total is Ivan Lendl with 10. Federer has also been in the last 17 of 18 major finals (winning 11); his only slip-up was two years ago here in Melbourne, to Novak Djokovic, who ended up winning the tournament against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the 2008 final. Tsonga got his revenge last night by beating the Serbian , a result which I welcome but did not expect or predict. "Jo-Willie" really seems to enjoy the big lights and enthusiastic crowd down in Australia and they bring out the best tennis in the charismatic, hard-hitting Frenchman. Just to get to this point, Tsonga has had to win two tough 5-set matches (his first ever!), most particularly the 4th Round thriller against Nicolas Almagro where he had to recover from "being two sets to none up" (as Mary Carillo quipped earlier this week) and ended up winning the match 6-3 6-4 4-6 6-7(6) 9-7. Against Djokovic, the Frenchman played two very close sets and only ended up winning one of them and then went "on walkabout" during the third set before Djokovic's physical ailments seem to weigh down the Serb's game more and more until it finally collapsed completely in a 7-6(8) 6-7(5) 1-6 6-3 6-1 loss.

The match-up between Federer and Tsonga is an interesting (and exciting) one. They have only played twice (in the last two years), both times on hard courts and the score is tied 1-1. I well remember their meeting at the ATP Masters Series during the Montreal massacre last year because Tsonga lost 10 games in a row and was down 5-1 in the third set before coming back to win in a decisive tie-breaker. Federer showed with his tight 2-6 6-3 6-0 7-5 dismissal of a more energized Nikolay Davydenko for the 13th time in 15 matches that he does not like to lose to the same person in consecutive matches. I personally will be happy with whomever wins this match, there's no one left in the tournament that would annoy me if they claimed the title.
MadProfessah's pick: Federer in 4 sets OR Tsonga in 5 sets.


Marin Cilic CRO (14) vs. Andy Murray GBR (5).This is Andy Murray's year. Unless it's not. On paper, the Scotsman sports head-to-head advantages over all of the remaining semifinalists (6-4 against Federer, 2-1 against Tsonga and 3-1 against his semifinal opponent, Marin Cilic) and should be the favorite for the 2010 Australian Open men's title. He was in the process of imposing his will on the defending champion Rafael Nadal before the Spaniard said ¡No Más! trailing 6-3 7-6(2) 3-0. Murray is yet to drop a set in the tournament, the only player on either side of the draw to do so. Cilic on the other hand last beat Murray the last time they played, in New York, handily 7-5 6-2 6-2. However, here in Melbourne Cilic has played three 5 set matches and a 4-set match to reach his first major semifinal, but the quality of his opponents has been substantially higher than Murray's: 2009 defending US Open champion Juan Martín del Potro, 2009 Wimbledon finalist Andy Roddick and the always wily Fabrice Santoro in the first round. That being said, I think that Murray has both the game and the will to win this match and one more. MadProfessah's pick: Murray in 4 sets.

by Mad Professah

Here are my predictions for the men's quarterfinals at the Australian Open this year, which is one of the strongest fields in recent memory, with 6 of the top8 seeds making it to the final eight.

Roger Federer SUI (1) vs. Nikolay Davydenko RUS (6). Haven't we seen this movie before? Roger Federer, the Greatest Of All Time, playing late in a major tournament against Kolya the Obsure Russian. Yes, we have, but since the last major was played Davydenko has won not one but two tournaments where he beat both Rafael Nadal and Federer. That still gives him the uninspiring record of 2 wins 12 losses against The Mighty Fed, including 0-4 in majors. In fact, in 2006 Davydenko lost in this very same round to Federer in four relatively tight sets. Of course neither player is the same player they were four years ago. One would really have to say that it is Davydenko who has improved more in that time, rather than Federer. I suspect this match will be closer than most people expect, but that Federer will pull through, bringing his already incredible streak of 22 consecutive Grand Slam semifinals to a ridiculous 23. PREDICTION: Federer in 5 sets.

Novak Djokovic SRB (3) vs Robin Soderling SWE (8) Jo-Wilfried Tsonga FRA (10). You know things are good when a reprise of the 2008 men's final is not even the best match-up of this round. It's interesting that Robin Soderling was seeded to have this position, because I always expected "Jo-Willie" to be right here from the beginning of the tournament. Unfortunately for him, I don't think the result will be any different from the last time the charismatic Frenchman played the talented Serb on the big stage in Melbourne. Djokovic is playing devastating tennis and is anxious to remain in the conversation when talk turns to the Nadal-Federer monopoly on major titles. Unless Tsonga is playing the tennis that had him dismiss Nadal in that magical semifinal in 2008, he will probably not even win a set. Then again one never knows what could happen because last year the defending champion bizarrely threw in the towel against Andy Roddick at this stage of the tournament. However, I am pretty sure he is eager to erase memories of that result from the tennis-watching public's mind. PREDICTION: Djokovic in 4 sets.


Andy Roddick USA (7) vs. Juan Martin Del Potro ARG (4). Marin Cilic CRO (14). I really never expected to see Juan Martín del Potro make it this far in the tournament and he really never looked very comfortable in any of his matches in Melbourne. Cilic was impressive in maintaining his composure as he blew breakpoint after breakpoint against the reigning US Open champion and beat his once and future rival for the first time at a major. A lot of people (including myself) have favorably re-assessed the play of Andy Roddick after the incredible competitive spirit he showed in the best match of last year, the 2009 Wimbledon men's final. However, Marin Cilic is undefeated in 2010 and he is absolutely not satisfied with only being a quarterfinalist. I'm sure he truly believes that if Juan Martin can win a major (over Federer no less!) than he can as well. If so, he'll have to get through at least three more excellent players to get there, as well as have some good luck. Fortune favors the brave. PREDICTION: Cilic in 5 sets.

Getty

Week two begins. For my money, the Round of 16 at a Slam is the toughest match to win if you haven't been this way before. For the eventual champion, it's the middle match. You win, you become one of the Final Eight and will always be referred to as a Grand Slam quarterfinalist. If you don't, you have to "settle" for the honorable distinction of making the second week of a Slam.

Interestingly, in the bottom half of both draws only one player, Alona Bondarenko, makes her debut in week two and only two players, John Isner and Maria Kirilenko, have never been past the last 16. Both are making their second appearance in this round. Isner made his first appearance at last year's US Open with his upset of a broken-spirited Andy Roddick in a third-set breaker. Kirilenko made her major debut in week two right here two years ago, upsetting then-ranked Top 10-er Anna Chakvetadze in three. Do they have another upset in them? Can Bondarenko continue her fine form and win her first fourth round match on her first try against the gritty Chinese player?

For me, the most intriguing matches of the day are the battle of the Belgians, the battle of the Larry Stefanki charges, and the battle of the Giants.

I get a sense that Yanina Wickmayer doesn't particularly care for Justine Henin and has the hard flat shots that can keep Henin pinned behind the baseline looping slices into the short court. Both are exhausted, so the one who wants it the most will outlast the other. That would be Henin. Two tight sets. Then again, Wickmayer relishes Kim Clijsters and doesn't particularly care for Henin, so....

This is the first encounter between Roddick and Fernando González since the American stole the Chilean's coach. Roddick leads their head-to-head 8-3, but the Chilean fans in Melbourne are an excited bunch and lifted González over the finish line in his third-round war. We saw how tentatively Roddick played against an opponent he owned in his last match, so I expect much of the same. If Gonzo isn't missing, it's going to be a rough night for Koala Andy. Then again, no one thrives more in the night-match atmosphere than the sailor-mouthed American. It could be a straight-set beatdown, or a five-set epic. I ain't calling it.

The Giant Croat and the Giant Argentinean have only played twice, both times in Slams, including a meeting in the same round here last year and in the quarterfinals of the US Open last year. Both times, Juan Martín del Potro beat Marin Cilic in four sets. I think the Tower of Tandil will make it 3-for-3, tennis elbow notwithstanding.

For the rest, I'm going with Andy Murray in four, Rafael Nadal in four, Zheng in straights or Bondarenko in three (wimpy, I know), Nadia Petrova in two or Svetlana Kuznetsova in three (and again - but we're talking Russian headcases here!), and Dinara Safina in a rout.

Who you got?

Order Of Play For Sunday, 24 January 2010

Rod Laver Arena 11:00 Start Time

1. Men's Singles - 4th Round
Andy Murray (GBR)[5] v. John Isner (USA)[33]
2. Men's Singles - 4th Round
Ivo Karlovic (CRO) v. Rafael Nadal (ESP)[2]

Rod Laver Arena 19:00 Start Time

1. Women's Singles - 4th Round
Justine Henin (BEL) v. Yanina Wickmayer (BEL)
2. Men's Singles - 4th Round
Andy Roddick (USA)[7] v. Fernando Gonzalez (CHI)[11]

Hisense Arena 11:00 Start Time

1. Women's Singles - 4th Round
Alona Bondarenko (UKR)[31] v. Jie Zheng (CHN)
Not Before:12:30
2. Women's Singles - 4th Round
Nadia Petrova (RUS)[19] v. Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS)[3]
3. Men's Singles - 4th Round
Marin Cilic (CRO)[14] v. Juan Martin Del Potro (ARG)[4]
Not Before:15:00
4. Women's Singles - 4th Round
Maria Kirilenko (RUS) v. Dinara Safina (RUS)[2]
This match may be moved to Rod Laver Arena.

Getty

All the hype was about the women's "blockbuster" that ESPN had the audacity to call the "Greatest 2nd Round Grand Slam match ever?!" before it even began, but we'll get to that later.

The thriller of the night belonged to none other than James Blake and Juan Martín del Potro. Question marks loomed over the match. How would the reigning US Open champion's tennis elbow hold up? How would the 30-year-old man's knee hold up? How much desire to win would he display?

I'd like to write a match report, but I'm too tired, so I urge you all to see it on replay if you can. It was all-court power tennis punctuated with masterful net play, especially from Blake. The tiebreak he played to level the match in the second set was enthralling.

They saved the best for the last. Del Potro, who displays little emotion during the peaks and valleys of a match, hurt his rib late in the fifth set, Blake needed his left arm attended right before del Potro served for the match a second time, fans shouted at Blake in the middle of several big points, but both players displayed some serious gonads to give the fans at Hisense Arena a 6-4, 6-7(3), 5-7, 6-3, 10-8 adventure they'll be talking about for days.

::


Reuters

I wrote a version of the following shortly after Justine Henin outlasted Elena Dementieva 7-5, 7-6(6).

The hype for the women's night match on Rod Laver was too much before, too much during, and now too much after.

It was intriguing, dramatic, intense, and competitive. It was also erratic, nervy, painful, and ugly.

During the match, the tweets were outrageous. "Best match I've ever seen!" from someone who called the Brisbane final the same thing. "I can't remember the last time I saw such great tennis from both sides of the net" from someone who hailed the Brisbane final as the best thing since sliced bread. Pam Shriver even said early in the match that this was going to be a match she would never forget and then called it the greatest straight set match ever. Too few comments from the commentators about how terrible the serving was on both sides of the net.

As a critic, I know I can be too critical, even harsh, as some of you like to say, but when people ignore much of what's in front of their eyes simply to hype the best parts to the hilt, for the sake of the sport, I suppose, it leaves viewers wondering what the hell folks are talking about and makes you question the credibility of those doing all the hyping.

Another writer who bemoaned all the double faults on the WTA last year said nary a word about all the double faults in this match. I guess because she liked both players and was so very excited that Henin is back, she overlooked the woeful service games from both players. And I mean woeful. Neither player could hold serve. For me, great matches feature players who can close out matches on their own serve. You serve for a match once and get tight, fine. You serve for it twice and get tight, it's ugly. (It was interesting that both del Potro and Henin served for their matches twice. The second time simultaneously. They both faced 15-30 simultaneously. He held. She didn't) I'm not going to overlook the ugly just because some of the exchanges off the ground and at the net were beautiful.

They're both fighters. But ElenaD isn't as focused in Slam matches as she is in non-Slam matches it makes the whole affair less palatable because we know what she can produce when she is. One of my readers, a new fan to tennis, doesn't know much about ElenaD's history and all he can talk about is how sorry for her he feels because she's in such visible pain on the court.

And despite what the propagandists claimed, she did not play as well as she did in Sydney. There, her serve was better, her groundstrokes were flatter, deeper, more precise, and she wasn't talking to herself or her mother when she missed a shot.

Henin means business. So much so that she's still looking up at her coach between every point and he's still giving her signals. Pathetic. And though she'd never admit it in public, she also wants to upstage the comeback of her compatriot. She may just do it. But if, and only if, the rest of the tour allows her to get away with that crappy serve as it did for much of her first go around.

If she wants to fulfill her dreams in London, she's going to have to buy a serve.

::

Faces Of The Day


Reuters

Bernard Tomic of Australia keeps warm with a towel during his match against Croatia's Marin Cilic at Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne January 20, 2010.


Reuters

France's Marc Gicquel turns to the crowd after losing a point to Andy Murray of Britain at the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne January 20, 2010


Reuters

Thomaz Bellucci of Brazil reacts during his match against Andy Roddick of the U.S. at the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne January 20, 2010.


Getty

Donald Young of the United States of America talks to the media during day three of the 2010 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 20, 2010 in Melbourne, Australia.

Getty

Roger Federer SUI (1) v Igor Andreev RUS
Juan Ignacio Chela ARG v Victor Hanescu ROU
Stephane Robert FRA v Potito Starace ITA
Lleyton Hewitt AUS (22) v Ricardo Gocevar BRA (Q)
Christophe Rochus BEL v Donald Young USA (Q)
Paolo Lorenzi ITA v Marcos Baghdatis CYP
Frederico Gil POR v Gilles Simon FRA (15) David Ferrer ESP (17)

Fernando Verdasco ESP (9) v Carsten Ball AUS
Ivan Sergeyev UKR (Q) v Dudi Sela ISR
Rajeev Ram USA v Stefan Koubek AUT (Q)
Ivan Dodig CRO (Q) v Juan Carlos Ferrero ESP (23)

Juan Monaco ARG (30) v Ernests Gulbis LAT
Martin Vassallo Arguello ARG v Michael Llodra FRA
Carlos Moya ESP v Illya Marchenko UKR (Q)
Dieter Kindlmann GER (Q) v Nikolay Davydenko RUS (6)

Well, looky here. Donald Young has qualified for the Australian Open without dropping a set. Too bad he got placed in this quarter in that particular section. He should be no match for Christophe Rochus, and even if he is, Lleyton Hewitt will end his run in round 2. Still, a nice result for a young man told that he's got to stand on his own two feet if he's to continue receiving support from the USTA.

But I digress.

In his quarter, Roger Federer has drawn his new-found nemesis Nikolay Davydenko. Will Raja's extraoridinary streak of Slam semifinals end? Will Davydenko finally breakthrough and make a semifinal Down Under?

Yes and no. Raja looks to have tennis elbow on his right arm, and the Iron Man really can't stand the heat.

Who will stop them? Veteran Stefan Koubek is always good for a great Slam match and he'll probably give Fernando Verdasco all he can handle, if the Spaniard gets past big-serving homeboy Carsten Ball. Still flimsy in the head, though, Verdasco may cause one big upset, but not two. Marcos Baghdatis is playing some good ball again and this is the place he made a name for himself. If he can keep up his form and ride the wave of his boisterous fans, he makes another Australian Open semifinal and becomes the first surprise finalist of the decade.

::


Getty

Novak Djokovic SRB (3) v Daniel Gimeno-Traver ESP
Marinko Matosevic AUS v Marco Chiudinelli SUI
Kristof Vliegen BEL v Michael Berrer GER
Denis Istomin UZB v Jeremy Chardy FRA (32)

Mikhail Youzhny RUS (20) v Richard Gasquet FRA
Jan Hajek CZE v Robby Ginepri USA
Lukasz Kubot POL v Mischa Zverev GER
Santiago Giraldo COL v Tommy Robredo ESP (16)

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga FRA (10) v Sergiy Stakhovsky UKR
Fabio Fognini ITA v Taylor Dent USA
Ryan Harrison USA v Janko Tipsarevic SRB
Simon Greul GER v Tommy Haas GER (18)

Nicolas Almagro ESP (26) v Xavier Malisse BEL (Q)
Benjamin Becker GER v Grega Zemlja SLO (Q)
Alejandro Falla COL v Marcos Daniel BRA
Marcel Granollers ESP v Robin Söderling SWE (8)

Somoene called this the weakest quarter of the draw and a practical shoo-in for Novak Djokovic to claim. With Robin Söderling and Tommy Haas nursing injuries, I got his point.

But despite Djokovic's victory Down Under in 2008, he struggled mightily with the heat last year and had to retire in his quarterfinal. His strong run at the end of 2009 makes that retirement seem ancient, but it registers like yesterday. He'll win his section, but whoever emerges from the second section could give him ulcers. They won't beat him (unless, say Tommy Robredo serves out of a tree as he did in Hopman Cup to beat Andy Murray) but they will wear him down for the quarterfinals where Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who also happens to love playing in Melbourne, will get his revenge from that 2008 final.

Darkhorses: Xavier Malisse


Reuters

Andy Roddick USA (7) v Thiemo de Bakker NED
Teimuraz Gabashvili RUS v Thomaz Bellucci BRA
Feliciano Lopez ESP v Pablo Cuevas URU
Rainer Schuettler GER v Sam Querrey USA (25)

Tomas Berdych CZE (21) v Robin Haase NED
Daniel Brands GER v Evgeny Korolev KAZ
Sebastien Grosjean FRA v Marsel Ilhan TUR (Q)
Olivier Rochus BELv Fernando Gonzalez CHI (11)

Marin Cilic CRO (14) v Fabrice Santoro FRA
Guillaume Rufin FRA (Q) v Bernard Tomic AUS
Igor Kunitsyn RUS v Jose Acasuso ARG
Guillermo Garcia-Lopez ESP v Stanislas Wawrinka SUI (19)

Viktor Troicki SRB (29) v Nicolas Lapentti ECU
Philipp Petzschner GER v Florian Mayer GER
James Blake USA v Arnaud Clement FRA
Michael Russell USA v Juan Martín Del Potro ARG (4)

This quarter feels overly crowded. Most of the seeds have shown some good form recently, and the "no-names" are dangerous: Thiemo de Bakker, Feliciano López, Robin Haase, José Acasuso, Guillermo García-López, and Philipp Petzschner all have huge games and can cause an upset if their opponents are even slightly below par. And then there are veterans Michael Russel, Nicolas Lapentti, and Rainer Schuettler with the games and the guile to crash many a party. Each tends to produce his best tennis at Slams. Anyone remember Russell taking Hewitt the distance after losing a 2-sets-to-love lead in 2007? It was the best underrated match of the year.

How far will Andy Roddick's head and heart take him? Clearly he has the game to get out of this quarter (even his latest losses to the USO champion were tight, tight affairs) and loves to play in the heat. But no matter what he or anyone else says I remain convinced Wimbledon broke his spirit. At least he already has a win on the year. Maybe redemption awaits....

We might get a rematch of the Chennai final in round 3 and a rematch of the USO quarterfinal in the Round of 16, not to mention a repeat of last year's Round of 16 right here in Melbourne. Will there be revenge?

It's tough to pick against Juan Martín del Potro to advance to his first semifinal in Melbourne.

Darkhorse: Any of the aforementioned "no-names"

::


Getty

Andy Murray GBR (5) v Kevin Anderson RSA (Q)
Marc Gicquel FRAv Simone Bolelli ITA
Jarkko Nieminen FIN v Nick Lindahl AUS
Florent Serra FRA v Jurgen Melzer AUT (28)

John Isner USA (33) David Ferrer ESP (17) v Andreas Seppi ITA
Louk Sorensen IRL* (Q) v Yen-Hsun Lu TPE
Daniel Koellerer AUT v Antonio Veic CRO (Q)
Matthew Ebden AUS (Q) v Gael Monfils FRA (12)

Radek Stepanek CZE (13) v Ivo Karlovic CRO
Julien Benneteau FRA v David Guez FRA (Q)
Mardy Fish USA v Andrey Golubev KAZ
Jason Kubler AUS v Ivan Ljubicic CRO (24)

Philipp Kohlschreiber GER (27) v Horacio Zeballos ARG
Blaz Kavcic SLO (LL) v Wayne Odesnik USA
Lukas Lacko SVK v Leonardo Mayer ARG
Peter Luczak AUS v Rafael Nadal ESP (2)

Land of the giants. The top seeds must start well to subdue their opening round opponents. Andy Murray's section looked like a dream until the qualifiers were placed. Kevin Anderson, the South African giant who spent most of 2009 on the challenger circuit and who made an ATP final two years ago, is no pushover. He serves big and moves well for a man his size. If Murray is too passive, he'll find himself in a dog fight. Rafael Nadal will have to play the crowd as well as a huge server in the round 1. A challenging mix, but the defending champ should be up for it.

Despite the presence of so many extra-tall players with huge serves in this quarter, the top seeds should make the quarterfinals where they will reprise their 2007 round of 16 encounter with the same result.

Darkhorse: John Isner

*I've never seen a player from Ireland in a Grand Slam main draw.

::

The Women