A bit late with this one but here's a look at the draws in Acapulco and Delray Beach where a host of top players are taking part. The tournament in Acapulco has become a tournament that consistently attracts some top players it's now one of just eleven tournaments that have ATP 500 status. Acapulco gives players a chance to get on to their favoured surface of clay and get a head start on their opponents. Delray Beach has also drawn in some big starts despite its ATP 250 status. It may not have the stature of Dubai or Acapulco but it has its advantages and the main reason for attracting players is it provides players a chance to get acclimatised with the American weather before the American hard court swing. So let's take a closer look at the field and the players likely to shine.
Starting with Acapulco and a quick glance at the field will show the vast majority of the players are from South America and Spain which is to be expected as the preferred surface of those countries is of course clay. Heavy favourite for the tournament will of course be David Ferrer who picked up his second tournament of the year last week when he played on the clay of Buenos Aires where he defeated Nicolas Almagro in the final. He takes on Mexican wildcard Santiago Gonzalez in the first round and is likely to face Lukas Kubot in the second round should he dispose of Daniel Garza in his first round match. On the other side of that quarter is fifth seed Florian Mayer who faces Argentine qualifier Facundo Bagnis in the opening round and then faces a potential clash with his namesake Leonardo although it;s likely he will be beaten talented Spaniard Pablo Andujar. Andujar will also cause problems for Florian and in my opinion Andujar is the likely quarter final opponent for Ferrer. No matter who makes it there Ferrer will progress with minimum fuss from those matches. Talented Frenchman is the third seed in Mexico and his decision to partake here on the clay could be a sign of his intention to progress further at his home major, the French Open. He faces a very tricky start to this tournament as he faces Carlos Berlocq who has had some very good performances against good players in the past year and the clay will certainly aid his cause. I expect Simon to make it through though, and I think he might be in for a good week despite his unfavourable draw. Potito Starace will more than likely be the one who awaits him in the second round a tricky quarter final where he could face any one of four good players. The seeding suggests Marcel Granollers will be the quarter final opponent but I would be surprised if he actually makes it. I would expect Thomaz Bellucci to beat Granollers in the first round. Bellucci is a very good clay court player and despite a blip in form in recent months I think a return to clay will boost the Brazilians confidence. The winner of that game will face either David Nalbandian or the hit and miss Columbian Santiago Giraldo. Nalbandian is coming off a semi final appearance in Buenos Aires last week and has had a few days to recover so I would expect him to win this one and progress to an intriguing clash with Bellucci. The second half of the draw is where the best matches will be and is very difficult to pick winners from. Argentine Juan Monaco will be a very tricky opponent for anybody he faces here with his dangerous clay court game. His first round match with fellow clay courter Albert Ramos will be a very entertaining battle with plenty of long rallies and in the end I would expect Monaco to just about progress. Then it gets very tricky for Monaco as he faces the winner of former French Open winner Juan Carlos Ferrero and Stanislas Wawrinka. That match will be a high quality affair and I think Wawrinka will just about come through a very difficult match and go on to face Monaco but that one will be a struggle for him and he could face an early exit unless he can produce some of his best tennis. The winner of that will most likely face either Kei Nishikori or Albert Montanes. Those two square off in round one and although Nishikori holds a clear advantage in the rankings and in form, Montanes is a very good clay court player and could produce a shock win over the Japanese player who has had a very good year to date. It would be very difficult to say one way or the other with any degree of certainty but if i was forced to choose I would go with Montanes. The quarter final could be any pairing from this section but in my own opinion I think it could be Montanes and Wawrinka but players like Monaco and Nishikori could very well find themselves there. The final section is easier to call and I would fully expect Fernando Verdasco and Nicolas Almagro to make it through to the quarter finals andAlmagro would have the edge if that was the case. Filippo Volandri has to be given a mention too though as recently he has had some very good runs and should he beat Verdasco in the opening round he will go on to face Almagro in a quarter finals. Trying to look ahead to a semi final is difficult but I think that for certain Nicolas Almagro will be through and who he faces in the semi is impossible to know for sure but i'm going to give Juan Monaco a shout here. I think he has the game and fitness levels to get through a very tough draw but Nicolas Almagro will prove a step to far for him and Almagro will move on to a third successive final. David Ferrer will make it through to another final and look to win his third title of the year. In the semis i would imagine he would beat either Simon or Bellucci. A repeat of last weeks Buenos Aires final between Almagro and Ferrer will be the result of the weeks play and I don't think Almagro will have gained enough to beat the in form Ferrer.
A quick look at Delray Beach and Memphis winner Jurgen Melzer will look to win consecutive titles although he will face another strong field and a second round clash with either Bernard Tomic or Tommy Haas will provide stern competition for the Austrian. Haas has been good since his return but Tomic will have too much class for the German although Haas looks good to have a strong year on his return. I think Tomic will take advantage of Melzer's exertions last week and progress to a meeting with John Isner who should comfortably get through to the quarter finals. Isners serve would be a big problem for Tomic who doesn't have a consistent enough serve to have a chance to beat the big American. Andy Roddick needs a good week but an opening clash with Philip Petzschner is not what he would have wanted. I do expect Roddick to get himself back on track and beat the German but a second round clash with Denis Istomin is where his run could end. Istomin has been strong since last year and can produce a performance to beat the American. I fancy Roddick to win though, I don't think he will lose early two weeks in a row in front of his own crowd. Most likely Kevin Anderson will await in the quarter final should he overcome Xavier Malisse who should beat Guillermo Garcia-Lopez. Roddick would be a favourite in that one if he made it there as he would have built up some confidence from earlier wins. I think Ernest Gulbis might just have a good week here. He hasn't won since last year and will be eager to end that drought here. He should beat Alejandro Falla and then beat Victor Troicki to go on to face Ivo Karlovic who I believe will make it past Alex Bogomolov jr. Phillip Kohlschreiber opens against Olivier Rochus and should progress to a meeting with Ivan Dodig who I think will then beat Kohlschreiber. Marin Cilic has got to perform this well. He hasn't played well in far too long and this week he has been given a draw kind enough to give him a good run. He should beat Jarkko Nieminen and then go on to beat Dodig or Kohlschreiber. In the semis I think we will see Marin Cilic face Ernest Gulbis in an unlikely semi final pairing and in the other side of the draw I think we will have John Isner and Andy Roddick. In the final i'm expecting to see Isner face Cilic where Isner will come out on top to win the title. Others that I believe are capable of having good weeks and are worth watching are Bernard Tomic, Ivo Karlovic and last weeks winner Jurgen Melzer.
Both tournaments should provide some great tennis and along with Dubai we have got a very exciting week of tennis to look forward to.
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