The first four quarter finals were previewed last night and here we have the final four. These matches are all very competitive and could go either way so let's see who we think will still be playing tomorrow.
Sara Errani vs Ekaterina Makarova
This one is very tricky to call. I think Errani is certainly the better clay court player but Makarova has been playing very well this week. She's beaten Azarenka and Bartoli and is playing very well. I like Makarova and I think she is a fantastic player but you've got to be so mentally tough to beat Errani on this surface. I'm not sure she will be able to live with the fiery Italian. Errani is someone who can win this tournament and I think she'll be around on semi final day. Errani in three.
Ana Ivanovic vs Angelique Kerber
Ivanovic is on the way up and is playing some super tennis right now. I really like the way she is playing and I don't think it will be long before she is competing for majors again. Kerber is having a good season results wise but her form is very up and down. Her match with Kuznetsova was such a huge win for her I think it could be the turning point in her season. How she won it I'll never know but she did and I'm hoping that's the point we'll look back at in a few months as the moment she turned her form around. She would relish a shot at Sharapova again tomorrow and I don't think Ivanovic will stand in the way of that. Kerber in two.
Stanislas Wawrinka vs Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
This one will go the distance. They've met four times and the recurring theme of this rivalry is final set deciders. Tsonga has the better of their record winning three times including a few weeks ago in Monte Carlo. I like Wawrinka a lot this week. He has been playing some super tennis and the way he dismantled Dimitrov in the final two sets yesterday was impressive. Wawrinka is a man who can disrupt the top five and with Federer gone he would certainly fancy his chances of making a final here. I think Wawrinka goes into this as the favourite and he is starting to show he can cope with the added pressure. Wawrinka in three.
Andy Murray vs Tomas Berdych
This one is going to be short and sweet in my opinion. Murray has serious problems on this surface and although he got away with it against Mayer and Simon, he will be in trouble against Berdych. Murray's movement isn't up to scratch on this clay. He struggles with sliding and is off balance hitting shots. The biggest problem he faces is he is far to defensive. You cannot win clay court matches against top players by constantly slicing the ball and looping it into the court. You have to hit the ball, you need top spin and depth. When you play Simon and Mayer on clay, if you aren't the aggressor you need to look at how you're playing the game. Berdych has been super this week and although clay might not be his favoured surface the altitude is helping him this week. He will employ the same tactics he did when he faced Murray at the US Open. He will attack the second serve and step inside the baseline to hit ground strokes to hurt Murray. All their meetings on clay have been comfortable and this will too. Berdych in two.
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