ATP Masters Series: Monte Carlo

[Kaan]

The draws have been released.

A Ridiculous draw for Hewitt. Safin and IF he progresses he plays Stepanek and Nadal after that.

Anyone know why Roddick isn't participating?

And also it's only 4 sections instead of 8? How come not much people participate in Monte Carlo?

 

[matt_897]

The draws have been released.

A Ridiculous draw for Hewitt. Safin and IF he progresses he plays Stepanek and Nadal after that.

Anyone know why Roddick isn't participating?

And also it's only 4 sections instead of 8? How come not much people participate in Monte Carlo?

Hewitt was always going to get a tough draw, and bad-day Safin could be possible for Lleyton beat but it'll proably be tough for him to abck up after 5 matches this week. It'll be interesting and should be on tv at least.

Monte-Carlo isn't mandatory so you don't have to enter it, that's why Federer need a WC, he wasn't going to play and then decided he needed the matchplay. So none of the american clay court mugs play this event (usually they make up excuses anyway), I think Gonzo and Tsonga wasn't playing either i think. Still a ncie field though.

IW and Miami are 96 draw, Monte Carlo and all other MS events are 56 draws (apart from indoor event in paris which is 48)

 

[Kaan]

Well if less people play that's easier to get 1000 points..

PS: Someone change title to ATP Masters Series: Monte Carlo

 

[matt_897]

Re: ATP Masters Series: Miami

No, not really, only take out one round and shorterns the field to make the first matches for the top seeds a tough ask to begin with unlike with a 96 draw, you'll play someone more lowly ranked most likely.

Draw:

[1] NADAL, Rafael ESP vs BYE
KUNITSYN, Igor RUS vs CHELA, Juan Ignacio ARG
SAFIN, Marat RUS vs [WC] HEWITT, Lleyton AUS
QUALIFIER vs [15] STEPANEK, Radek CZE
[9] MONFILS, Gael FRA vs TIPSAREVIC, Janko SRB
SODERLING, Robin SWE vs BOLELLI, Simone ITA
QUALIFIER vs [WC] LJUBICIC, Ivan CRO
BYE vs [5] DEL POTRO, Juan Martin ARG

[4] MURRAY, Andy GBR vs BYE
HANESCU, Victor ROU vs QUALIFIER
QUALIFIER vs BERDYCH, Tomas CZE
QUALIFIER vs [14] CILIC, Marin CRO
[12] NALBANDIAN, David ARG vs MATHIEU, Paul-Henri FRA
ACASUSO, Jose ARG vs GRANOLLERS, Marcel ESP
KARLOVIC, Ivo CRO vs SERRA, Florent FRA
BYE vs [8] DAVYDENKO, Nikolay RUS

[7] VERDASCO, Fernando ESP vs BYE
GULBIS, Ernests LAT vs KOHLSCHREIBER, Philipp GER
GICQUEL, Marc FRA vs SCHWANK, Eduardo ARG
LOPEZ, Feliciano ESP vs [10] FERRER, David ESP
[16] ALMAGRO, Nicolas ESP vs MONTANES, Albert ESP
[WC] LISNARD, Jean-Rene MON vs ROCHUS, Christophe BEL
BENNETEAU, Julien FRA vs QUALIFIER
BYE vs [3] DJOKOVIC, Novak SRB

[6] SIMON, Gilles FRA vs BYE
QUALIFIER vs KIEFER, Nicolas GER
CHARDY, Jeremy FRA vs MONACO, Juan ARG
SCHUETTLER, Rainer GER vs [11] ROBREDO, Tommy ESP
[13] WAWRINKA, Stanislas SUI vs TROICKI, Viktor SRB
ANDREEV, Igor RUS vs VASSALLO ARGUELLO, Martin ARG
SEPPI, Andreas ITA vs MELZER, Jurgen AUT
BYE vs [2, WC] FEDERER, Roger SUI

Nadal's section from 3rd round onwards is interesting, (Stepanek, Safin or Hewitt), then Del Potro, Murray. He's obivously favourite and my pick to win, Murray vs. Nadal on clay would be interesting to see, Murray has one of the best defenses in the game, he should be able to do well. On the other side, i'm still not sold on Djokovic, wonder if his errors might show on the clay, still probably the favourite to get through that side but a QF match with Verdasco could be enjoyable. Federer deseperate wanting confidence, getting a WC this week, i like his draw, see if he can work his way into form but he probably won't and end losing to someone like Simon or Robredo.

Already my highlight of the week will be watching Hewitt/Safin, hopefully Lleyton will pull up alright after this week, want to see how he's going, it will be defiantely be on a tv court.

 

[SBI]

Re: ATP Masters Series: Miami

I'm pretty sure IW and Miami are the only Masters Series draws with 96 players. Why that is, I am unsure.

 

[Drummond]

Re: ATP Masters Series: Miami

It's that time of the year again, the European clay court swing. The North American Masters events have come and gone so now the attention turns to the picturesque setting that is Monte Carlo. This might be my favourite Masters 1000 event although in saying that I do tend to change my mind a lot and each Masters is exciting and offers something unique.

Once again it’s a great field and there should be some terrific tennis on display. Looking forward to seeing Nadal recommence his dominance on the clay and I have no doubt he’ll win the title here. He is 24-1 on the clay at Monte Carlo and he has won the tournament the past 4 years, 3 of which have been contested against Federer. His draw isn’t too bad, he is likely to face Chela and then Stepanek which might appear tough but I can’t see Radek causing him too many problems given his record here. Hewitt v Safin is a first round match in his little section and given Hewitt is coming off a title win in Houston, perhaps he is the one most likely to be his 3rd round opponent. Gael Monfils made the Semi’s at Roland Garros last year so he’s obviously a danger and could be Nadal’s Quarter Finals foe.

It will be fascinating to see how Andy Murray performs. He is coming off a tremendous month in North America with a win in Miami and R/U in Indian Wells. However he has a combined 5-7 W/L record at Monte Carlo, Rome and the French Open so he looks really susceptible to an early loss. Can he show a noticeable improvement on the clay? Personally I find it strange he’s had such a hard time on the clay because I don’t necessarily think his game style is that opposed to the surface. I’ll be keeping a close eye on him.

Djokovic is one that could pose a real threat and his draw is relatively easy. Almagro is his likely 3rd round opponent which might present a challenge but I see him reaching the Quarters at the very least. Here he will most likely face David Ferrer which would be a brilliant match. Ferrer has reached the Quarters in four consecutive years at this event so he will be full of confidence. Djokovic however did reach the Semi’s here in 2008 and I rate his game on clay so I think he might be the finalist from the bottom half.

Up until recently Roger Federer had decided to skip this tournament however he’s had a change of mind and has accepted a wildcard. He faces either Seppi or Melzer first up and either way he’s advancing. He’ll then face either Wawrinka or Igor Andreev in the 3rd round, I’m tipping it’s the latter and I give him a big chance of causing an upset. I might overrate Andreev but I believe on his day he’s one of the most dangerous players on tour. He’s a fine clay court player and reached the Quarter Finals at this event in 2008. But first he has to get this far and he has Vassallo Arguello first up, an Argentine who might fancy his chances on his proffered surface. Back on Federer though, I’m intrigued to see how he performs this week. What kind of mental state is he is after a disappointing and emotional exit at Miami? If he finally going to suffer some early exits on clay? We’ll get a lot of answers this week.

A few more notes, Gulbis has suffered yet another first round defeat, this time a straight sets loss to Kohlschbreiber. I have no idea what’s up with Gulbis but his ranking looks set to take a major nosedive given he reached the Quarters at last years French Open.

There are some fine first round matches. Nalbandian v P.H. Mathieu should be great as will Hewitt v Safin. It’s always exciting when the players turn to clay for the first time in the year so I’m really looking forward to seeing the action get underway.

Prediction: Nadal

Shock I know! Whenever a tournament is played on clay Nadal has to be the overwhelming favourite. He loves Monte Carlo and there’s no reason to tip against him. The big question is will he drop a set? Maybe

 

[matt_897]

Last night's results:

[14] M Cilic (CRO) d [Q] F Cipolla (ITA) 63 62
[Q] N Lapentti (ECU) d [15] R Stepanek (CZE) 63 16 63
[Q] O Hernandez (ESP) d J Benneteau (FRA) 64 64
J Chela (ARG) d I Kunitsyn (RUS) 64 26 75
V Hanescu (ROU) d [Q] A Martin (ESP) 62 63
A Seppi (ITA) d J Melzer (AUT) 62 60
M Granollers (ESP) d J Acasuso (ARG) 76(4) 76(2)
J Monaco (ARG) d J Chardy (FRA) 62 75
M Gicquel (FRA) d E Schwank (ARG) 36 61 76(2)
[Q] A Beck (GER) d N Kiefer (GER) 16 76(1) 64
[WC] I Ljubicic (CRO) d [Q] K Vliegen (BEL) 64 67(5) 64

Watched the 3rd st of the gicquel and schwank match, wasn't very hgih quality, the TB was an absolute classic mugfest. Then saw Ljubicic and Vliegen one. What has happened to Vliegen, the same guy who beat Hewitt in a davis cup rubber a few years ago. He basically has no backhand, just slices it all the time, he was lucky he was playing Ljubo, that's why he got such a chance. Ljubo had a mp in the 2nd but stuffed not that diffcult of a lob. Ljubo was the better player in that much but it seems like he doesn't concentrate at times, hits most of his returns way too short, he's going to get smashed by Del Potro.

Hewitt is 4th on court 1 tonight, can't wait to see how he goes, hopefully he isn't too jetlagged but I have a feeling he might need Safin to have one of his bad days to win, lucky they are more common now. The better matches are probably on court 1, mathieu/Nalbandian as well.

 

[SBI]

If he wins, he has a massive chance of making it through to the third round. Wouldn't beat Stepanek, but can beat old man Lapentti.

 

[Drummond]

Last night's results:

[14] M Cilic (CRO) d [Q] F Cipolla (ITA) 63 62

Rubbish match really, Cilic was okay but if he had lost he might have well retired. His opponent had a decent set of wheels but was otherwise pretty ordinary and had no weapons to trouble Cilic. He did his best to extend the match as he lost his serve when serving for the match and he choked away numerous match points. Eventually he got there but not the greatest of performances.

A Seppi (ITA) d J Melzer (AUT) 62 60

Pathetic effort from Melzer as he completely threw in the towel in the second set. The first wasn’t too flash either as as soon as he got down a break he basically decided there was no point hanging around. Seppi played a reasonable match though and he might cause Federer a few headaches in the second round.

J Monaco (ARG) d J Chardy (FRA) 62 75

This was an okay match, the best I saw of the day (doesn’t say much) but marred by 50+ unforced errors by Chardy.

Today promises to be a much, much more entertaining day of tennis. Some ripper matches on paper.

 

[SBI]

Embarrassing performance from Monfils there. Up 3-1 in the first set, and rolls over against Tipsarevic who advances to a match with Bolleli 6-3, 6-1.

 

[matt_897]

Embarrassing performance from Monfils there. Up 3-1 in the first set, and rolls over against Tipsarevic who advances to a match with Bolleli 6-3, 6-1.

One of the matches of the year that was

No seriously, tipsy started off poorly then monfils let him break back by a few errors and then they just kept flowing, that was ugly stuff.

 

[Drummond]

What a joke of a display by Monfils, as usual. The guy has no fighting spirit at all; as soon as he falls behind in a match he might as well shake hands with his opponent. He looks good when he’s winning and beating lowly ranked opponents but as soon as he comes up against anyone who won’t give him many free points he looks ordinary. I don’t understand what goes through the guys head, how he could so easily just accept throwing away matches without putting up a fight. He was jeered off the court, doesn’t that bother him? Until he matures and learns to fight until the very end then he deserves no respect.

Tipsarevic was very, very good though and made very few errors. He was down a break at 3-1 in the first set but won 11 of the next 12 games. His backhand down the line was particularly impressive and he finished quite a few points off at the net with some excellent volleys. I like watching him play although to be fair, when he’s behind he often shows similar traits to Monfils, not quite as bad though. Lets hope he can play as well as he did for his next match and beyond.

Berdych on TV now, he really should win this match.

 

[matt_897]

What a joke of a display by Monfils, as usual. The guy has no fighting spirit at all; as soon as he falls behind in a match he might as well shake hands with his opponent. He looks good when he’s winning and beating lowly ranked opponents but as soon as he comes up against anyone who won’t give him many free points he looks ordinary. I don’t understand what goes through the guys head, how he could so easily just accept throwing away matches without putting up a fight. He was jeered off the court, doesn’t that bother him? Until he matures and learns to fight until the very end then he deserves no respect.

You would be think Rasheed would be the type of guy to put that would drill the improtance of the mental side of the game and keep fighting but it has seemed to do nothing for Gael. Chucked five bucks on tipsy after he won that first set, he was still paying $2.05

 

[Kaan]

What time is the Safin vs Hewitt game?

 

[Amazing Bombers]

What time is the Safin vs Hewitt game?

He's 4th on Court DES PRINCES. No set time .

[Q] F Fognini (ITA) vs T Berdych (CZE)
[12] D Nalbandian (ARG) vs P Mathieu (FRA)
F Lopez (ESP) vs [10] D Ferrer (ESP)
M Safin (RUS) vs [WC] L Hewitt (AUS)

 

[CHBench]

Around midnight-ish.

 

[matty p]

Re: ATP Masters Series: Miami

Prediction: Nadal

Shock I know! Whenever a tournament is played on clay Nadal has to be the overwhelming favourite. He loves Monte Carlo and there’s no reason to tip against him. The big question is will he drop a set? Maybe

Haha some very brave predictions there. Nice preview of the tournament, keep up the great work. Will be very surprised if Nadal loses more than 1 set over the entire week.

 

[matt_897]

What time is the Safin vs Hewitt game?

Foginni has just defeated Berdych 1-6, 6-3, 6-3 so it probably at the earliest won't start till 12.30am, probably later

 

[Amazing Bombers]

Foginni has just defeated Berdych 1-6, 6-3, 6-3 so it probably at the earliest won't start till 12.30am, probably later

Maybe it might be a bit earlier as Nalbandian is currently beating PHM 5-1 in only 23 minutes. Edit- Upsets galore continue as another frenchman Gilles Simon loses to Andreas Beck 7-5 6-1.

 

[CHBench]

Beck def Simon 7-5 6-1

A few upset frenchmen out there...

 

[Amazing Bombers]

Montanes won 6-7(6) 6-4 6-7 (5) and Lisnard won easily 6-2 6-2.

 

[matt_897]

What is it with the useless french, Chardy yesterday, Monfils and Simon today. Mathieu a break up in the 2nd though against nalbandian after losing the first set 6-4.

 

[OzBomber]

When is Hewitt on court today? Also, will it be shown on Fox's coverage?

Edit: Just looked in the thread. I'll probably stay up to watch it. He should have some confidence.

 

[Drummond]

Really good performance by Murray, surprisingly solid throughout. 20 winners and 16 unforced errors are certainly very impressive numbers. I thought he might be in for a tough afternoon when he was broken in his first two service games but importantly he managed to break back immediately. As I said previously, I think Murray has a game that will eventually lend itself to the clay courts so today was a nice confidence booster for him. Henescu is no dud on clay but I think he was a tad underwhelming today and never really applied much pressure.

Disappointed to see Simon go down although clay is undoubtedly his least preferred surface and today was a prime example why. He just can’t play his normal game and full credit to Beck who I thought played a real intelligent game. He moved Simon around the court well and was hitting cleanly off both wings.

Looking forward to seeing Djokovic up next, for whatever reason I probably enjoy watching him play more than anyone on tour.

 

[Kaan]

I thought Hewitt game was after Nalbandians? Now its saying after the Ferrer game. :\