It was an absolutely brilliant day of tennis, especially the two Men's Quarter Finals that took place as both Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer needed fivc sets to see of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Juan Martin Del Potro respectively.
The Djokovic match was incredible as the World Number 1 had to save four match points- the first of those saw him hit a smash on the back of the baseline before putting away a volley and once again showed the belief and ability to play under intense pressure that Djokovic has shown in the last 18 months.
That has kept alive the dream of being the first player in 43 years to hold all four Majors at the same time and only the third man in history to have accomplished that feat. I would also hesitate to back anyone else winning one of the Slams in the calender year if Djokovic can pull off the victory here at Roland Garros.
Roger Federer's win was impressive as he had to come back from 2-0 down in sets to win the match, although it was not as impressive as Djokovic's simply because Del Potro looked like the knee was bothering him more than at any time in the tournament so far.
I mentioned on my Twitter page that Federer has not really looked himself throughout the tournament here in Paris and I am sure he is still carrying an injury. I hope I am wrong and there is still a big performance left in him for the Semi Final on Friday, but he will have to raise his game to beat Novak Djokovic right now.
The Women's Quarter Finals were a little more straight forward as Sam Stosur and Sara Errani both won their matches in straight sets. The bigger story of the two is Errani who has finally put together a run at a Slam and has done so with some impressive performances against the likes of Ana Ivanovic, Svetlana Kuznetsova and lastly Angelique Kerber.
Errani has been superb on the clay courts this season, but Sam Stosur could be the biggest challenge she has faced- Stosur is in form and has a strong clay court pedigree and I would make her the favourite in that Semi Final which will take place on Thursday.
Day 11 Picks:
David Ferrer - 1.5 sets v Andy Murray: This is an interesting match, but I did say before the tournament that I would favour David Ferrer as long as he manages to get to this stage. The Spaniard has been very impressive so far with only Rafael Nadal looking more comfortable, and I think he has the mental strength to see off Andy Murray.
Murray was impressive himself when he dismantled Richard Gasquet in the Fourth Round, but the Frenchman gave up a position of control when he seemed to get overly upset at Murray clutching his back following a point won by Gasquet... That kind of mental check out will not occur by Ferrer who didn't even notice Mikhail Youzhny writing a message on the court in their Third Round clash.
Ferrer has the game to punish Murray into long, arduous rallies and that is going to take its toll on the physical issues the World Number 4 is still having. I expect long, drawn out exchanges and I would favour Ferrer in the majority of those.
While Murray has dominated the recent meetings between the players, it was Ferrer who won their last meeting in London at the ATP End of Year Championships, while the Spanish Number 2 is 3-0 in clashes on the clay. It has taken the likes of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal to stop Ferrer on the clay courts in recent weeks and I think he is going to end the hopes of Murray here, most likely in three or four tight sets.
Nicolas Almagro + 8.5 games v Rafael Nadal: I must be losing my mind going against Rafael Nadal with the way the World Number 2 has been playing in this tournament, but Nicolas Almagro is no fool on the clay courts and has a big enough serve to think he can get a few holds of serve under his belt.
Almagro was always considered the player that would likely give Nadal the most problems when the players were both juniors back in Spain, and that opinion was of Toni Nadal.
I actually think Almagro is mentally in the best place he has ever been since turning professional and he plays like he knows he deserves to be in the Top 10 of the Rankings or at least near to that point. That belief could help him a lot to at least keep this match close, although he still refers to Rafa as the 'king of clay'.
Nadal is playing exceptionally well at the moment, and he looks like a man on a mission. However, this is the most accomplished player he will have met in the tournament so far and one that can take the racquet out of the World Number 2's hands if he gets going.
This will be their third meeting at the French Open, both of those also Quarter Finals, and their fourth at Grand Slam events. The first meeting took place in Paris in 2008 when Nadal won 6-1, 6-1, 6-1, but the latter two meetings have been much closer affairs.
Almagro is yet to take a set in those but he was beaten 5, 4, 4 at the US Open in 2009 and was even closer back here in 2010 when it took two tie-breakers and a 6-4 set to see him off.
With the added confidence, I am hoping Almagro will at least keep this close... Nadal usually receives serve first, something that could help our cause, and I will hope Almagro can perhaps keep the match respectable in a 6-4, 7-6, 6-3 loss.
MY PICKS: David Ferrer - 1.5 sets @ 1.92 Paddy Power (2 Units)
Nicolas Almagro + 8.5 games @ 2.00 Pinnacle (2 Units)
FRENCH OPEN UPDATE: 18-21, - 0.38 Units (63 Units Staked)
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