OK time for the men's remaining quarter finals and this is where we get down to business and I will cover the second round of quarter final matches, which feature some big names, so let's have a look....
Right so the first match up was between Rafael Nadal and David Ferrer, two of the biggest competitors on clay just now. Now given Rafa's incredible record over Ferrer, which stood at 21-6 in Rafa's favour you would see him as the overwhelming favourite to win. But the match itself didn't start that way and it had an unusual complexion to it as Rafa got off to a slow start and Ferrer got motoring and he ended up taking the first set, which was also the first ever set he won against Rafa at Roland Garros. In the 2nd set, Ferrer soon went down a break, but he kept on fighting but inevitably Rafa had started to raise his level and he took the set to level the match. However unfortunately for Ferrer in the 3rd set, his challenge started to fade badly and his self belief evaporated as Rafa started to race through the match and go through his fellow Spaniard and dished out a bagel set. In the 4th set things weren't much better for Ferrer as he continued his rash of unforced errors, although he had a slight glimmer of hope as he got a break back, but it did no good in the end as Rafa ruthlessly finished off Ferrer to make it into another semi final in Paris with a 4-6, 6-4, 6-0, 6-1 victory.
Given the high quality of the first two sets it was a shame this match didn't fully live up to expectations and the most surprising thing in the end was how Ferrer dwindled so badly from the match as it went on. And that remains a big problem for Ferrer as he has often admitted in the press that he isn't as good as the "big four" and that lack of confidence was clear in this match. And if Ferrer is ever to have a chance against Rafa and the others he has to start believing he can beat them and not be so humble in his expectations. And the funny thing is Ferrer has beaten Rafa already on clay this year in Monte Carlo, and if he had somehow managed to maintain his level from the 1st set it might be him in the semi finals just now instead of Rafa. But the bottom line is that Ferrer has always lacked the belief to beat Rafa in the big events and it was always going to be a tall order to defeat Rafa in his own back yard. As for Rafa well it just shows even when he isn't playing his best he will find a way to get the job done and he certainly did that here.
So now we get onto the second quarter final match of the day,reak Andy which was between Andy Murray and the last French man standing, Gael Monfils. This promised to be quite an entertaining match and it sure turned out to be that as while it was a bit of a slow burner with Andy starting off where he left against Verdasco as he served well, moved and defending superbly, he didn't let Monfils into the match at all and he soon took a swift two set lead. However that all changed in the 3rd set as Monfils started to settle down into a ryhthym and he began to feed off the energy of the Parisian (and Partisan!) crowd and he managed to break Andy at 5-4 to take the 3rd set and extend the match, which saw the French folk go wild. Monfils continued his comeback in the 4th set as well as Andy played some sloppy serve games and suffered a double break, which gave Monfils all he needed to level the scores at two sets all. And going into the decider with the crowd fully behind him, Monfils was the favourite and Andy's chances started to look grim. However Andy defied all odds and got off to a solid start by holding his serve, he then went on to demolish Monfils, who failed spectacularly to hold his serve or any points and in just 24 minutes, Andy raced to victory to reach his second semi final at the French open after a bizarre 6-4, 6-1, 4-6, 1-6, 6-0 win.
Well so far Andy has played some of the most dramatic and entertaining matches of the tournament so far and this one was no exception and both men played some lovely points for the crowd as they both displayed their deft touch and power form the baseline. Monfils is a streaky player but when he's on he is very dangerous and after levelling at two sets all he looked the favourite to win this match, but then Monfils's level dropped spectacularly as if the prospect and the pressure of actually defeating a two time major champion took its toll on him. As for Andy well we know he likes to do things the hard way and he sure did it that way in this match but his resolve to finish off Monfils so quickly in fading light on Philipp Chatrier in front of thousands French fans was very impressive and it shows once again he really has learned that champion mentality so well from Ivan Lendl.
So this sets up one hell of a tantalising match in prospect between one Andy Murray and one Rafael Nadal and if its anything like their most recent encounter in Rome its gonna be one absolute cracker of a match. And after waiting nearly three years for Andy and Rafa to renew their rivalry its great to see them meet each other again for the second time in just the space of three weeks, which means they surely will have a few more meetings this year ahead of them. So who will win???????? Well........ I'm going to have to go with Rafa as he hasn't won eight titles at Roland Garros for nowt and no matter how much Andy will throw at him, which could be hell of a lot, I don't quite see Andy take Rafa out of the event. However I do think it could be a very close match and it promises to be a terrific encounter so let's hope it lives up to expectations. As for my prediction I think Rafa will win in four tough sets or at an absolute push maybe five, but we will just see how he performs on the day, it could even be a straight set rout for Andy, but given his impressive form at the French I sincerely doubt it. So however it ends up I think it just might be a classic (well let's hope so).
Right so that's it for now and I will be back with the results of the men's semis and the ladies final soon.
Till the next un bye for now!
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