By Mike McIntyre
As the quarter-finals at the French Open are set to begin Tuesday in Paris, all eyes will be focused on front-runner Rafael Nadal. When looking at the remaining men left in the draw, this guy is the overwhelming favorite.
World-number two Nadal is the four-time champion and has been on-fire once again this year on clay. Undefeated on the dirt so far this year, he won all three Masters 1000 level clay-court tournaments and appears to be once again unbeatable at Roland Garros. A match against clay-specialist Nicolas Almagro might push him to four sets, but a quick victory in three is still likely.
His next opponent will be Novak Djokovic who could test him for sure - test him, but ultimately not defeat him in Paris. Djokovic faces Jurgen Melzer, a first time Grand Slam quarter-finalist. This is, in fact, Melzer's first time past the third round of a major. Time for a reality check against Djokovic.
In the top-half, world number-one Roger Federer will face Robin Soderling in a rematch of last year's final. Soderling looks to be playing quite sharp and will not have the same nerves he did a year ago versus Roger. While Federer has stepped it up once more in a Grand Slam, I think he's going to face a stiffer test from Soderling this time. Soderling is his most difficult opponent in this tournament thus far and I think we could see a four or five set battle between them. Roger should prevail - but do not count out the upset factor with Soderling. He is the only man to have ever defeated Nadal at this tourney.
Somewhat forgotten is the match between Mikail Youzhny and Tomas Berdych. Flip a coin in this one folks, it could go either way. Berdych has just knocked off fourth seeded Andy Murray, while Youzhny advanced when Jo-Wilfried Tsonga retired after just one set. I give Berdych the edge here as it seems he may finally make-good on some of that potential we have all been talking about for years. This is only the second Grand Slam quarter-final of his career.
Ultimately everyone is no-doubt hoping for a Rafa vs Roger final. That is the most competitive final we can hope for, but even then the odds are heavily stacked in Nadal's favor. For now, enjoy some true competition as we build towards the final on Sunday.
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