I can't believe we have reached the Quarter Final stage of the tournament already, but that is the case on Day 10 as we get to see the first two Men's and Women's Quarter Finals in action.
The biggest story on Day 9 was the exit of Na Li as the defending Champion was beaten in a very surprising result against Yaroslava Shvedova, a player that is more known for her ability as a doubles player than as a singles player. Shvedova is ranked at 142 in the World and had to win three qualifying matches, but now will be playing in the Quarter Finals on Wednesday.
After the drama of Day 8 in the Men's draw, yesterday was much calmer as David Ferrer, Rafael Nadal and Nicolas Almagro all got through without dropping a set and were rarely troubled.
The last player to book his place in the Men's Quarter Finals was Andy Murray who dismantled Richard Gasquet in the final two sets of their Fourth Round clash and dismissed the Frenchman impressively. A lot of people would have expected Gasquet to trouble Murray much more than he did, but his game quickly fell apart after taking the first set and the result was never in doubt as soon as Murray managed to take the second set.
It highlighted, once again, the reasons why Gasquet does not trouble the best players in the World with any sort of consistency. His lack of mental strength is a real concern and makes me believe he will never fulfil the potential he had simply because I can't see him putting together 7 matches at a Grand Slam that you need to win a Major.
The next couple of days should provide fascinating viewing as there are some really top quality matches on show, especially on the Men's side of the draw. Hopefully the rain can hold off and the tournament can continue in the fashion it has been.
Day 10 Picks:
Roger Federer to win 3-1 in sets v Juan Martin Del Potro: Juan Martin Del Potro has been solid for the most part of the tournament, although it is clear that his knee is giving him some trouble. That also means he looks to shorten the points where possible, although the big Argentinian has made it clear that his knee will not cost him this tournament.
I tend to agree with him as Del Potro faces a real mental challenge from Roger Federer in this one, a player that has beating Del Potro the last five times they have played against one another, and four of those have come this season.
Roger Federer has got through his draw with ease for the most part and that had to be expected as he hasn't really faced any major challenges just yet. However, he has not breezed through in the manner expected, dropping a set in his last three matches and that should give his opponent some belief that he can get something going here.
However, the mental side of the game is asking too much for Del Potro to do better than a set in this one. If the match is anything like their Semi Final here in 2009, this could be a treat for anyone watching.
Novak Djokovic - 6.5 games v Jo-Wilfried Tsonga: I know Novak Djokovic struggled in his last match against Andreas Seppi and he had to dig deep to get the win, but the bottom like is simple... He did get the win.
Many players have managed to escape in an early match before going on to win a Major, so Djokovic should not be under-estimated in this tournament. The Serb World Number 1 has the edge on Jo-Wilfried Tsonga when it comes to the slower courts and his consistency could really hurt the last French player left in either draw, particularly with the conditions getting a little heavier at the moment.
Tsonga has done very well to get to this stage, despite being seeded to do so, but I can't help but think he has been a touch fortunate and this match could get away from him if he is not mentally checked in, something he was guilty of in his match with Stanislas Wawrinka.
He also made it clear that he was not expecting to win the tournament so there is every chance he is happy with reaching the Quarter Final and may look ahead to getting back on the grass and challenging at Wimbledon.
The players met in Rome recently and after a tight first set, Djokovic ran away with the match and something similar may develop here.
I can see the Number 1 seed winning 7-5, 6-2, 6-3.
MY PICKS: Roger Federer win 3-1 in sets @ 4.00 Coral (1 Unit)
Novak Djokovic - 6.5 games @ 2.00 Pinnacle (2 Units)
FRENCH OPEN UPDATE: 17-20, - 1.38 Units (60 Units Staked)
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