Madrid Open So Far: Federer & Nadal On Course For Finals?

So far this year’s Madrid Open with combined women’s and men’s matches has been a tale of two events. While many of the top seeded women have exited early, the men’s side, except for the loss by Robin Soderling yesterday, remains intact in terms of its big names. For the women left, Madrid could be the breakthrough event they’ve been waiting for. Meanwhile, many still hope for a Roger Federer/Rafael Nadal final, but it’s not an easy path for either.

On the women’s side, with most of the top stars gone, it’s a great chance for some of the tour’s best, though perhaps not as well known, to shine. The biggest match on tap tomorrow is a quarterfinal between one of the hottest players on clay, Sam Stosur, versus a newly crowned world No. 2 Venus Williams. Stosur has never beaten Williams in three tries, but one has to like Stosur going in based on her recent form.

Meanwhile Jelena Jankovic, fresh off her win versus Ana Ivanovic, takes on the feisty French player Aravane Rezai who fought off a determined Andrea Petokvic today in two tight sets. Rezai, who’s been under the shadow somewhat from the higher ranked Frenchwomen Marion Bartoli, has shown great fight all week after taking out favorite Justine Henin in the first round. If she can get past Jankovic, herself on a hot streak, watch for Rezai to finally make a bigger name for herself come Roland Garros time. Finally, Nadia Petrova, after having taken out Serena Williams, takes on another resurgent player, Lucie Safrarova while Na Li takes on another fighter in Shahar Peer.

With routine wins by Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, both men appear locked in for their first meeting in over a year if they both make it to the finals. Nadal, the favorite in every match he plays, takes on the flashy Gael Monfils who’s back from another injury break. Federer, meanwhile has to face Ernests Gulbis in a rematch of their meeting in Rome. Though Federer was rusty in that one, expect him to be ready for some revenge against the Latvian.

And in a bit of a surprise, Andy Murray showed much better form than he has in weeks during his 6-2, 6-1 beatdown of Victor Hanescu. The Scot will now take on David Ferrer, who despite his loss to Nadal in the Rome finals, is a legitimate darkhorse for Paris. Ferrer, who still gets second billing to Nadal, would probably love another chance at Nadal in front of the Spanish crowd, but he’d have to get past possibly Federer to do so. And although everyone wants a Federer/Nadal rematch, don’t be surprised if things go off course for that showdown, at least for now.

Related posts:

1. Federer & Nadal Resume “Dream” Rivalry in Madrid Finals.
2. Rezai’s “Golden” Week & Nadal’s Domination Sum Up Madrid Open.
3. Italian Open Preview: Moody Nadal vs. a “Contento” Federer.
4. Madrid Open Preview – Is Henin Bringing the WTA to the “Verge of a Nervous Breakdown?”
5. Weekend Wrap – Estoril Gives Federer a Bad Taste While Rome Says “Ciao Bello Ana!”

Tagged as: Andy Murray, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Sam Stosur, Venus Williams