There are three stand out games in Madrid today and all three could go either way. We're going to have a quick look at those games and see who we think will make it through.
Tommy Haas vs David Ferrer
This is a match I am really looking forward to. Ferrer is such a good clay court player but hasn't been at his best in recent weeks. He doesn't seem to have the confidence he usually does. On the other hand Tommy Haas is in great form. He's consistent and getting some very impressive wins. Nine times out of ten I would pick Ferrer to win this one in straight sets but this is the perfect time for Haas to meet Ferrer on clay. Haas won the title in Munich last week while Ferrer was mauled in the final of Oeiras. It usually takes something special to beat Ferrer on clay and Haas is something special. I certainly wouldn't want to miss this one. I'm going to go for the upset and say Haas to win a memorable match. Tommy Haas in three.
Andy Murray vs Gilles Simon
This one could be another very good match. Murray has a huge dominance in their head to head having won the last ten but Simon is playing some very good tennis right now while Murray isn't. He was pushed hard by Florian Mayer in his first match and looked very sluggish. A lot of commentators were commenting on how good Murray's slice backhand was. Well that's all well and good but you don't win on clay slicing the ball. If you're not the aggressor playing Mayer on clay then you really need to look at how you're playing. If Murray plays passively throughout the clay court campaign then he better be prepared for some beatings. Wawrinka exposed that game when he curshed Murray in Monte Carlo and I could see something similar happening against Berdych if he did beat Simon. If Simon plays aggressively he could win it but he often falls into a passive game himself against Murray. It will be interesting to watch and should provide good entertaining rallies. Andy Murray in three.
Stanislas Wawrinka vs Grigor Dimitrov
This one should be one of the best matches of the tournament. Dimitrov beat Djokovic in the last round prompting the premature predictions of him breaking the top ten this year and winning multiple majors. I am a huge fan of Dimitrov and always have been but winning one match against Djokovic doesn't change the mental and physical problems he has. This is still the man that suffered cramp after two hours of playing tennis in Monte Carlo. It's also the man who double faulted four times when serving for the set against Murray and done the same thing a week later against Djokovic. Wawrinka was in a similar position a few years back. He was being tipped for greatness but never had the consistency. This year seems to be a lot different. He is hitting the ball as well as anyone and he's doing it week in week out. I think he is in a far better position at the moment than Dimitrov to crack the top ten and compete in the latter stages of the majors. Dimitrov is one for the future and he should someday reach the top but this match will bring him back down to earth. Stanislas Wawrinka in two.
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