The US Open Day-9


I woke up at 04:30 this morning to see Richard Gasquet come back from 2-0 down to level at 2 sets all with Lleyton Hewitt, I was happy, my predictions were still on track for a Federer-Gasquet final…however, Gasquet let up in the beginning of the fifth and Hewitt seized to close it out.

So I am wrong, I thought my outlandish prediction would come right…. I still do believe that Richard Gasquet will be a top 10 player by May next year.

The big upset was unseeded Mikhail Youzhny demolishing Tommy Robredo.
Today’s action

17-Andy Murray vs 7-Nikolay Davydenko

The match of the day will be the Dunblane Demon Andy Murray who is the 17th seed and the bland, almost emotionless disciplined Russian Nikolay Davydenko. Davydenko, seeded 7 is being billed as the underdog in the UK, with the Murray mania going wild.

I might have been wrong about Murray losing to Gonzalez, but Murray who has all the talent, but not enough strength will find it hard to slug it out against the Russian workaholic. Davydenko has played more tournaments than anyone this year. Davydenko has won their one previous encounter.

I see Davydenko prevailing in 4 sets.

1 Roger Federer vs Marc Gicquel

Federer has had a very easy run thus far and it wont get harder against the Tunisian born Frenchman. Although Gicquel has knocked out 2 seeded players in Juan Carlos Ferrero and Gaston Gaudio, I see his dream run ending in a reality hangover.

Federer in 3

5-James Blake vs 12-Tomas Berdych

The American no.1 will have his toughest match over, whilst he might have all the fans behind him and that might lift his game, I wonder which Berdych will show up, because, if it is the Berdych that has beaten Federer and Nadal before we could see Blake get bumped.

Thus far we have only seen the Berdych who is a top 20 player, we have not seen the Berdych which has the potential to be a top 10 player, that is why I think Berdych will upset Blake here today.

Berdych in 4

14-Tommy Haas vs Marat Safin

This one is incredibly difficult to predict. Safin, a past champion in 2000 has shown us the form which made him champion here previously. Last night he dismantled the seeded Olivier Rochus in 3 straight sets.

However, Tommy Haas has had a great and consistent hard court season, and Haas will want to at least equal his previous best of a quarter final in 2004.

Both will come out all guns blazing, the key thing for Safin is to win a set within the first two sets, the longer the match goes on the better it will suit him as Haas had a bruising 5 set encounter last night.

Safin will cause another upset in 5 sets.

Lets hope I have some dignity left by tomorrow!

The summary


Davydenko in 4
Federer in 3
Berdych in 4
Safin in 5