Rogers Cup Men's Semifinal Prediction: Raonic vs. Pospisil

  

Vasek Pospisil after defeating Berdych

Yesterday on Twitter I asked if anyone had predicted a Raonic vs. Pospisil semifinal, and then I claimed that anyone who said they had was a liar. But apparently I was wrong...

So thank you Jared Pine (@JaredPine) for sending me this and making me feel bad that I had less faith in the two Canadian boys than this ATP Fantasy fellow. (But seriously, who makes that pick?)

On with my semifinal prediction...

Vasek Pospisil vs. Milos Raonic 

All I can say is you did good Canada. You did really good. I don't know if it was the rambunctious and very biased Canadian crowd that helped these two reach the semis, but even if the crowd helped them along, they both had to play great tennis to end up in the final four. That's right—two of the final four players at this tournament are from Canada. 

Vasek has played some amazing tennis and his excitement is infectious. I was on the National Bank Court while Pospisil was playing Berdych and the atmosphere was incredible. The other players have been describing the experience of playing a Canadian player here as being the same as playing a Davis Cup match, and I would have to agree. And no one has revved up the crowd more than Vasek Pospisil. He genuinely seems so surprised and elated to be in the position he's in and when he walks into his press conferences he can't stop grinning. It is for this reason that I think Vasek is going to defeat Milos today. 

Milos has been the better player for the past few years, so all the pressure is on him to win this semifinal match. If he doesn't win, it will only add to the talk that Milos has been hyped up too much and that he still hasn't produced the results that people expected of him. On the other hand, just reaching the semis is an unbelievable achievement for Vasek, so no matter what happens today, this will be seen as a breakthrough tournament for him.

Milos is also the more subdued player and I think the crowd will get behind Vasek and his endearingly enthusiastic personality. That's not to say that I don't think the crowd will support Raonic, because they will. I just think that as the match goes on that Vasek might get a little more support.

I'll take Pospisil defeating Raonic in three sets. But no matter what the result is we'll have a Canadian in the final of a Masters 1000 event...and that is a big deal.

The Final Four: Men's Olympic Tennis Semifinals

Only four men are left in the London 2012 Olympic tennis event: Federer, Djokovic, Murray, and Del Potro. All great players. All deserving of an Olympic medal. And by tomorrow evening we'll know what colour medal they'll each be fighting for.

Roger Federer vs. Juan Martin Del Potro

First up on Centre Court on Friday we'll have the winner of 17 Grand Slam titles versus the winner of just one Slam. But let's not forget who Del Potro defeated in the final to win his one and only major at the U.S. Open—Mr. Roger Federer himself. Del Potro might not be the same player he was in 2009, but he is very powerful and always dangerous, and Federer will have to play well to defeat him.

On the other hand, Federer has beaten Del Potro five times this year already, and I can't see him losing this match. He'll be playing on his favourite surface, at his favourite tournament venue, at the place where he's been most successful, and the place where he just won his seventh Wimbledon title a few weeks before. Federer wants this gold medal badly, and I think he'll take Del Potro down in straight sets.

Novak Djokovic vs. Andy Murray

Now here's where it gets interesting. Djokovic and Murray both have a lot to prove in this match. Djokovic loves competing under the Serbian flag and he seems to do his best when he's trying to win for his country. He also recently lost his number one ranking and a win here would get him one step closer to proving that he is still the best.

And then you've got Andy Murray—who gained many new fans after his heartbreaking loss to Federer in the Wimbledon final last month. The British crowd supported him at Wimbledon and they're supporting him more than ever at the Olympics. Although he is still without a Slam, Murray played really well at Wimbledon, and he should be feeling confident that he can reach the final on the same surface he did a few weeks ago. I think this will be a really exciting match, and I'm going with Murray upsetting Djokovic in three close sets. 

Day 4: Olympic Tennis Matches to Watch

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga vs. Milos Raonic
GO CANADA!!! I feel like this match is either going to be a blow-out match with Tsonga winning in straight sets, or a hard-fought three-setter with Milos winning. I wish I believed that Milos could take Tsonga out and keep Canada in the running for a singles medal, but I think the Frenchman will prevail.

Andy Roddick vs. Novak Djokovic
Brutal second round match for Andy. Just brutal. Novak is probably not loving this draw either, but you've got to think that he's going to be able to take Andy out. But who knows. Andy's had a lot of success on the Wimbledon courts in the past (not that Novak hasn't as well), so perhaps we'll see an upset. Here's hoping.

Feliciano Lopez vs. Juan Monaco
If you need to ask why this is a must-see match to watch, then clearly you haven't seen these photos before. Or these. And I guess, you know, it will also be an exciting match because Juan Monaco is on a roll and will want to continue his winning ways, and Feliciano is a pretty good grass court player and will want to make the most of his last minute Olympic entry. It will be a delightfully pretty match to watch, and I'll go with Pico winning in three sets. 

Other potentially interesting matches of the day include Gasquet vs. Baghdatis, Venus Williams vs. Aleksandra Woziak, and obviously the tag team of Federer and Wawrinka against Erlic and Ram.

Men's Olympic Tennis Predictions

The first day of men's tennis action at the Olympics resulted in some not-so-surprising results (Federer, Del Potro, and Isner winning their first round matches), some sort-of-but-not-quite-surprising results (Tipsarevic defeating Nalbandian and Istomin defeating Verdasco), and some really surprising results (Berdych going down in straight sets to Steve Darcis—a player I've never even heard of). 

The Olympics have always seemed to produce unexpected tennis medalists, and while it would seem crazy to bet against a Federer/Djokovic gold medal match, we should brace ourselves for some big upsets (a la Tomas Berdych) as the event unfolds. 

First Quarter:

Roger Federer is the clear favorite in this quarter. Yes, the best two-out-of-three format might allow for an in-the-zone player to knock him out earlier than expected, but when Isner and Tipsarevic are the biggest threats you've got to think that Roger will make it out of this quarter with ease. 

Second Quarter:

This quarter is a little more up in the air. Ferrer and Del Potro seem to be the most likely to reach the semifinals, although I wouldn't be surprised to see Kohlschreiber knock Ferrer out in round two. I'll go with Del Potro and Ferrer playing in the quarterfinals with Ferrer going through to the semis. 

Third Quarter:

At first glance, Andy Murray appears to be the obvious favorite to make it out of his quarter—especially with the early exit of Tomas Berdych. But Murray was unlucky to draw Stan Wawrinka as his first round opponent, and if Wawrinka plays his best then he could be tough to beat. Murray should win this match though, and if he does then I don't see anyone stopping him from reaching the semis. 

Fourth Quarter:

This last quarter is tough. On most days Novak Djokovic could beat any of the players in this section with ease, but at the Olympics and on grass you've got to think that if they're playing well that Tsonga, Roddick, and Raonic all have a chance. As much as I want to pick someone less obvious than Novak, I just can't. I'll go with Djokovic defeating Tsonga in the quarters. 

Semifinals:

Federer defeats Ferrer

Djokovic defeats Murray

Finals:

Federer defeats Djokovic

Gold: Federer

Silver: Djokovic

Bronze: Murray

Medal Dark Horses:

Raonic, Tsonga, and Isner

Wimbledon is Awesome: Federer vs. Murray picks

I am very excited for the men's final on Sunday. I haven't been this excited for a grand slam final for a long time. Not only did Federer beat Djokovic today (a feat in itself), but he's given himself a chance to win his 17th grand slam title and return to the number 1 spot in the ATP rankings. And to make things even better, Andy Murray will be his opponent in the final. I love Andy Murray! And Andy totally deserves to win a slam.

I'll be mainly cheering for Roger on Sunday—he's my favourite and it feels like forever since he won his last slam title. But it's nice to know that I'll be happy about the outcome either way. It would be great to see Andy win his first slam. All this "Andy's never won a slam" talk must be killing him, and I think he'll break down and cry if he wins, and I'd personally like to see that. I love myself an emotional winner. On the other hand, I feel like this might be Fed's last chance at another Wimbledon title and I want to see him tie Sampras in the Wimbledon category as well as number of weeks at number 1. And obviously Fed will also cry.

One thing is for sure: the Wimbledon crowd is going to be insane. They LOVE Roger. Like really really love him. But they're going to have to be behind Andy. I think the crowd (for once) will be pretty pro-Andy--even if that means they can't cheer as much for their beloved Fed.

I'm going with Federer beating Murray in four sets.

Can't wait.

Day 5: French Open Men's Matches to Watch

Milos Raonic vs. Jesse Levine (first match on Court 3)
Who doesn't love a little Canadian vs. American action? Although interestingly enough, although he's listed as an American player, Jesse Levine was actually born in Canada. Milos is the clear favourite to win this match, but who knows, Mr. Canadian-turned-American might find a way to give Milos some trouble. I'm going with Raonic in three sets.

Marcos Baghdatis vs. Nicolas Almagro (second match on Court 2)
Like the other Spaniards, Almagro is a pretty decent clay court player, but Baghdatis has never done so well on the clay. But regardless of his poor record on this surface, Baghdatis is rarely boring, and so this is a match I'm interested in watching. I'll go with Almagro winning in four sets.

Richard Gasquet vs. Grigor Dimitrov (fifth match on Court Suzanne Lenglen)
And now we come to a match between two highly touted players who didn't quite live up to their expected potential. I'm going to go with Gasquet pulling through in four sets, but I honestly wouldn't be surprised to see him crash out in straight sets either.

Previewing the Men's Draw in Miami

To view the official men's draw at the Sony Ericsson Open click here.

Djokovic's Quarter:
I really don't see anyone in this section who will threaten Djokovic's chances of making it to the semifinals. Matches to watch in this section include possible second round clashes between Djokovic and Baghdatis, Tomic and Ferrer, and a possible fourth round match between Del Potro and Ferrer. I'm picking Djokovic and Del Potro to play in the quarterfinals with Djokovic making it through to the next round.

Federer's Quarter:
Federer should make it through his quarter pretty easily, but there are a few interesting potential match-ups to watch including Federer vs. Harrison in the second round and Federer vs. Roddick in the third round. I know I'll also be watching the first round match between Jeremy Chardy and Canadian qualifier Frank Dancevic. Come on Frank! I'm picking Roger to play in the quarterfinals against...I don't even know...maybe Mardy Fish? or Verdasco? Let's just say that I don't think Federer will have any trouble beating whichever opponent he meets there.

Murray's Quarter:
This is probably the most interesting quarter because I don't think it's a guarantee that Murray will make it through to the semis. It won't be surprising if he does, but I don't necessarily think it's going to be an easy run for Andy. Interesting matches in this section could include Berdych vs. Gonzalez and Nalbandian vs. Tipsarevic in the second round, Raonic vs. Murray in the third round, and any matches that Gonzalez is in as this is the last tournament he'll play before his retirement. I'm going to pick Murray and Berdych to make it to the quarters with Murray coming through to win that match.

Nadal's Quarter:
And last but not least we've got Rafa's quarter. Matches to watch in this section of the draw include Isner vs. Davydenko in the second round and Tsonga vs. Isner in the fourth round. I'm picking Nadal and Isner to play against each other in the quarterfinals with Nadal making it through to the semis.

Semifinal predictions: Djokovic vs. Federer, Murray vs. Nadal
Final prediction: Federer defeats Nadal


Photo Credit: Miami Tennis News

Men's Indian Wells Final Prediction

John Isner after his huge win over Djokovic in the Indian Wells semifinals

Federer beats Nadal on an outdoor hardcourt for the first time since 2005!?!

I'm pretty excited for today's final between Federer and Isner. I want Roger to win because I always want Roger to win. But I'll also be very happy for John if he wins because he seems like a nice guy and he's also never won a Masters 1000 title before.

Winning this final will mean a lot to Federer because a) he sort of needs a big win right now, b) it will mean he has 19 Masters titles which will tie him for the most ever with Nadal, c) it's embarrassing to lose to Isner twice in a short period of time so it's a must-win situation, and d) Gavin Rossdale and Anna Wintour will be seriously depressed if he can't pull this win off.

As for Isner, winning will mean a lot to him because a) he's never won a Masters title before, b) it will move him up to 8th in the ATP rankings, and c) he can brag to his friends that he beat the greatest player of all time AND the number one player in the world in the same tournament. Oh and d) maybe Caroline Wozniacki will finally agree to go out with him (remember those amazingly flirty twitter conversations those two used to have? Isner and Wozniacki's Twitter Flirtation).

I'm going to go with Federer winning in three sets. I think Isner will win one set in a tiebreak (possibly the first set), but that he'll be nervous about winning his first big title and won't be able to take two sets off Fed. But who knows, I clearly did not think Isner could take out Djokovic, so anything is possible. Looking forward to an exciting match!

French Open Men's Semifinal Predictions

Well, we couldn't have asked for two better semifinals: Rafa vs. Murray and Novak vs. Fed. I think it's pretty safe to say that Nadal is going to win his match against Andy, but the Djokovic/Federer much is much more intriguing. I know a lot of people are going with Djoko to beat Fed, which I totally understand, but I'm going to pick Federer. Mainly because I just really want that to be the result, but also because I think it's possible.

Can Raonic Make the Quarters? Yes He Can!

I am so excited for tonight's match of Milos Raonic vs. David Ferrer. I really don't know who I think will win. I want Milos to win (because let's face it, I don't get to cheer for Canadian tennis players too often), but Ferrer is going to be really tough to beat. Unless, of course, Milos plays like he did against Llodra and Youzhny—which basically means staying calm and serving ridiculously well. Seriously, I can't wait for this match. I want it to be on right now.

I have a feeling Milos is going to win, but I'm having trouble deciding if I actually think he'll win, or if I just want him to win. No, you know what? I do believe that he can do it. I mean, why not? If he knocked off Youzhny he can take out Ferrer. Let's do this Milos!

Also, can you believe that Milos is the only non-European left in the draw? Yeah, it's crazy.

US Open: Super Saturday Preview!

Can't believe we've already reached the final weekend of the US Open, but here we are! Tomorrow's matches will feature two men's semfinals in the afternoon, and the women's final at night.

Men's Semifinal #1
Rafa Nadal vs. Mikhail Youzhny

12:00 PM on Arthur Ashe Stadium

Predicted winner: Rafa Nadal

Rafa showing off his magically faster serve

 There's nothing better than the Youzhny salute. Nothing.

US Open Matches to Watch: Day 9

Stan Wawrinka vs. Sam Querrey
Wawrinka knocked out Andy Murray, one of the favourites for the title, so he's going to feel confident that he can beat Querrey today. But Querrey will be the crowd favourite, and we know that when he's playing well he can beat a lot of the top guys. I really don't know who'll win this one. I'm going to go with Wawrinka in 4 sets. But I'm really not confident about this. 

Francesca Schiavone vs. Venus Williams
This should be an entertaining match. You've got the fiesty Italian who was the surprise French Open champion this year, against crowd favourite and multiple grand slam winner Venus Williams. The clear favourite for this match should be Venus, but I'm going to say Schiavone wins in three sets. And I'm fully basing this prediction on the fact that Francesca hit a tweener the other day and I liked it. And I like her.

Sam Stosur vs. Kim Clijsters
I think a lot of people are excited for this match. It's too bad that either of them will have to lose in this round, but I think Kim will take this fairly easily. She's just so comfortable on this court and she's had more experience in big situations. I'm going to go with Kim winning in two sets.

Rafa Nadal vs. Feli Lopez
This match of the Spaniard lefties should be good. Feli beat Rafa this year at Queen's, but Rafa is clearly the favourite tonight. Lopez never seems to be as intimidated of Rafa as a lot of the other players, so we might get an exciting match. I still think Nadal will win, but I hope it's close. I also hope it goes on for a long time so I can stare at Feli's pretty face for as long as possible. 

David Ferrer vs. Fernando Verdasco
And here we have another Spain vs. Spain match. I guess I'll go with Verdasco winning, although these two are really close in ability and I won't be surprised to see either one go through to the next round. It's just too bad that all of the Spaniards have to knock each other out in this round. 

US Open Matches to Watch: Day 7

Ana Ivanovic vs. Kim Clijsters
This one is going to be a heart breaker. How can you want either of these two women to lose? I think Kim will win the match, but Ana is finally playing better again and I at least hope that they both play well.

Rafa Nadal vs. Gilles Simon
Gilles became a father this week when his wife gave birth to their son four weeks early. Unfortunately, as it was so unexpected, he was unable to get back to France on time and he will have to wait until after the US Open to meet his baby. Obviously Rafa is the favourite in this match, but maybe Simon's excitement about becoming a dad will help him play better, or maybe he just wants to get the hell out of New York City and fly home to see his wife and child. I'm going to go with Rafa winning this one.

Sam Stosur vs. Elena Dementieva
I really don't know who I think will win this match. I'm hoping that Sam can make it through to the next round, but obviously Dementieva is a tough opponent. I think this match could go either way, but I'm going to pick Sam to win in three sets. Mostly because I feel that me predicting Sam to win will help her actually do it.

Andy Murray vs. Stan Wawrinka
Murray is the clear favourite for this match, but we all know that Wawrinka is capable of playing really good tennis. Plus, he's Swiss...which clearly means he has superior tennis genes. I'll go with Murray winning in four sets.

David Nalbandian vs. Fernando Verdasco
This will probably (hopefully) be the most exciting match of the day. Verdasco is the higher ranked player, but we all know Nalbandian has been playing well beyond his ranking all summer. I was going to write that both players have an equal chance of winning this match, but honestly I'd be surprised if Verdasco won this one. He just hasn't looked that great recently, so I'm going to have to go with Nalbandian moving on to the next round.

John Isner vs. Mikhail Youzhny
Everyone was afraid Isner would have to pull out of the US Open due to injury, but he's playing and he seems to be doing fine for now. I'm not sure there's a favourite for this match, but Isner will have the crowd support behind him and that might make all the difference. I think Isner will win in 4 sets.

Analyzing the US Open Men's Draw

Click here for the official men's draw for the 2010 US Open.

First Quarter (or Nadal's Quarter)

Obviously Nadal has to be the favorite to make it to the quarters, along with Verdasco, Nalbandian, and Ferrer. I wouldn't be surprised if Gulbis made it far as well, and I'd love to see him play Nadal in the quarterfinals.

Most interesting first round match:
Gulbis vs. Chardy or Ferrer vs. Dolgopolov.

Most interesting possible second round match:
Nadal vs. Istomin (and really, Nadal should kill him...but not many interesting second round matches to choose from so if you're going to watch someone you might as well watch Rafa)

Most interesting possible third round match:
Nalbandian vs. Verdasco

Most interesting possible round of 16 match:
Ferrer vs. Nalbandian (or Verdasco)

Quarterfinals prediction:
Nadal vs. Nalbandian

Second Quarter (or Murray's Quarter)

In my opinion, Murray and Berdych are the clear favorites to reach the quarterfinals in this section. Querrey and Wawrinka are capable of upsets but they'd have to beat Murray to get to the quarters, and I can't see that happening. Berdych could have some trouble with Almagro, Youzhny, or Isner (but that's only if Isner plays and if he's healthy, which at this point seems like it won't be happening), however, I'd be surprised if Berdych doesn't make it to the quarters.

Most interesting first round match:
Berdych vs. Llodra or Youzhny vs. Golubev

Most interesting possible second round match:
Stepanek vs. Robredo (I tried to find a better one, really I did)

Most interesting possible third round match:
Murray vs. Wawrinka or Almagro vs. Querrey

Most interesting possible round of 16 match:
Murray vs. Querrey or Youzhny vs. Berdych

Quarterfinals prediction:
Murray vs. Berdych

Analyzing the Rogers Cup Draw

I haven't had much time to post about the Rogers Cup draw because I've been at the event watching practice sessions all weekend, but today is my day to relax so I hope to get this site fully updated!

In case you missed it, I've been profiling the players I think have a chance to win the title in Toronto this year. Here they are in no particular order (click on the names to be taken to the original posts):

1. Rafa Nadal
2. Roger Federer
3. Andy Murray
4. Tomas Berdych
5. David Nalbandian

I made most of these picks before the draw came out, so let's look at the potential match-ups this week.

Nadal's Quarter
Nadal and Querrey should meet in the third round (although I'm not giving up the wild hope of Canadian Frank Dancevic beating Wawrinka in the first round and Nadal in the second), but the bottom of this quarter is trickier as a number of the men could make it through. As long as everything is okay with Andy Roddick (and things have not looked good the last few weeks) then he should make it to the third round where he could face Cilic, Kohlschreiber, or Tipsarevic. I'll go with Andy and Rafa playing in the quarterfinals with Rafa making it through to the semis.

Murray's Quarter
Murray should make it to the third round where he'll likely meet either Monfils or Gonzalez (Feli Lopez is a possibility as well). The other half of this quarter has the most interesting first round match of the tournament: Nalbandian vs. Ferrer. It's too bad these two drew each other for such an early match, but because of his amazing play last week I'm going to pick Nalbandian to make it through. A Soderling/Nalbandian third round match is a good possibility and although this could really go either way, I'll take Nalbandian to meet Andy Murray in the quarterfinals. If Nalbandian is on and plays his very best, then I think he can win, but anything less and I'll take Andy to make the semis.

Federer's Quarter
I'll take Federer and Almagro meeting in the third round, with Tomas Berdych and Gilles Simon making it to the third round in their half of the quarter. Federer and Berdych should win their matches and face each other in the quarterfinals. I wouldn't be surprised if either of them made it to the semis, but I think Roger will be the favourite and will win the match.

Djokovic's Quarter
Djokovic will likely meet Jurgen Melzer in the third round, with Davydenko and Verdasco the favourites to play each other in the third round of their section of the draw. If things play out like this I would expect some tough matches, but I'd take Djokovic and Verdasco to meet in the quarterfinals, with Djokovic making it through to the semis.

First round matches start today, and once we get through the first couple of rounds I will make predictions on the semifinal and final results.

Keep checking back here today as I will be posting more photos from the practice sessions this weekend.

Roddick, Berdych: Top Seeds at Legg Mason

The Legg Mason Tennis Classic begins this weekend in Washington, D.C, with quite a few of the top players in attendance—minus, of course, Federer and Nadal, the two players everyone has been waiting to see since Wimbledon. But although Rafa and Roger won’t be playing until next week at the Rogers Cup in Toronto, the Legg Mason Tennis Classic has the potential for some great matches.

Seeded Players and Their Chances at Legg Mason:

1. Tomas Berdych (CZE)
Tomas has had an amazing season so far with a semifinal result at Roland Garros and a final appearance at Wimbledon, where he had to beat 6-time Wimbledon winner Roger Federer along the way. Berdych hits the ball incredibly hard and he should be able to overwhelm the majority of other players at this event. If he plays the way he’s played all year then he should make the finals where he’ll likely meet Andy Roddick—the only player who will really be able to challenge him for the title.

2. Andy Roddick (USA)
Even though Andy lost early last week in Atlanta, he should make it to the finals in Washington where he has a good chance of winning the title. He’ll want to prove that the loss in Atlanta was a fluke and that he’s ready to do well for the rest of the US Open Series, and there’s no one in his half of the draw that he can’t beat.

3. Fernando Verdasco (ESP)
Verdasco should win his first two rounds fairly easily and then he’ll likely meet Ernests Gulbis or Marcos Baghdatis in the quarterfinals. Baghdatis did not look good in L.A. this week and Gulbis needs to calm down on court (ie. stop smashing multiple raquets) if he wants to win his matches, so Verdasco should make it to the semifinals where he’ll more than likely fall to Berdych.

4. Marin Cilic (CRO)
Cilic really hasn’t done much lately so it would be surprising if he went too far into the draw. To get to the quarterfinals he’ll have to go through Mardy Fish, one of the hottest players of the summer, and if Mardy is healthy I just don’t see it happening.

5. John Isner (USA)
Isner has had some decent results this summer, although he couldn’t take down Mardy Fish in the recent Atlanta finals. He should make it to the quarterfinals though, where he’ll likely lose to Berdych.

The rest of the top ten includes (6)Sam Querrey (USA), (7) Stan Wawrinka (SUI), (8) Marcos Baghdatis (CYP), (9) Ernests Gulbis (LAT), and (10) Radek Stepanek (CZE). Can’t see any of these players winning the title, although Querrey could make the semis, and at this point I’d take the number 11 seed Lleyton Hewitt, or number 15 seed Mardy Fish (as long as his injured ankle has healed) over guys like Baghdatis, Gulbis, or Stepanek.

The entire draw can be seen at the website for the Legg Mason Tennis Classic.

Farmers Classic, Early Predictions

Definitely excited to see Andy Murray back in action again, and he's the clear favourite to win the Farmers Classic this week in Los Angeles. Keep in mind though that I said Andy Roddick was the clear favourite to win in Atlanta last week and he didn't even make it to the finals. But really, did anyone have Mardy Fish as the favourite to win that tournament? I don't think so.

Okay, on to my predictions...

Semifinals:
Andy Murray vs. Feliciano Lopez
Janko Tipsarevic vs. Sam Querrey

Finals:
Andy Murray vs. Sam Querrey

Winner:
Andy Murray

I'm not feeling very confident about my Lopez and Tipsarevic picks, but I do think that a Murray/Querrey final is a real possibility.

Atlanta Tennis Championships Early Predictions

Obviously you've got to go with Andy Roddick as the favourite here, but there are a few other good players in the draw who have a chance at the title as well, including Lleyton Hewitt and John Isner.

Based on the draw here are my early predictions:

Quarters: Roddick vs. Malisse, Blake vs. Fish, Tipsarevic vs. Hewitt, Schuettler vs. Isner

Semis: Roddick vs. Fish, Hewitt vs. Isner

Finals: Roddick vs. Hewitt

Winner: Roddick

I would actually love to see a Roddick vs. Hewitt final. When these two play I always feel like it's 2003 again.