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  • Masters Series Monte-Carlo: Third Quarter Preview

    4/21/08 4:02 AM | Ricky Dimon
    - With none of the top three players in the world, Nikolay Davydenko coming off an injury in the Estoril Open final, and the presence of several clay-court experts, the third quarter of the Monte-Carlo draw looks like a free-for-all.

    Nikolay Davydenko is the top seed (fourth overall) in the third quarter of the draw this week, but he will have his hands full in making a run to the Monte-Carlo semifinals. First of all, the Russian will have to bounce back from a leg injury that caused him to retire early in the second set of his title match in Estoril against Roger Federer. Second, he has more than his fair share of company in a section of the draw that appears to be anyone’s for the taking.

    The other three seeded players in the third quarter are Mikhail Youzhny (8), Juan Monaco (11), and Philipp Kohlschreiber (16). Monaco is the only member of that trio who prefers clay over any other surface, but Youzhny and Kohlschreiber are both adept on the dirt.

    In addition to the seeds, however, it is actually some of the unseeded bunch that appear to be the biggest threats in this part of the draw. Nicolas Almagro is the essence of a clay-court genius and he is coming off a runner-up performance in Valencia (lost to David Ferrer in the final). The Spaniard already has two clay-court titles in 2008. He should crush hometown wild card Jean-Rene Lisnard in round one and then he would most likely get Monaco in the second. Almagro would not meet Davydenko until the quarterfinals.

    Igor Andreev’s heavy topspin forehand makes him a load to deal with on clay, and the Russian should be able to handle compatriot Dmitry Tursunov, who knows only one speed, in the first round. If Andreev can get to the quarterfinals of the Sony Ericsson Open, there’s no telling how far he can go on the Monte-Carlo dirt.

    And what would a clay-court event be without Argentines? Jose Acasuso has a tough first-round battle with Kohlschreiber on his hands, but on the slow stuff an Acasuso win would not be a big surprise. Juan Ignacio Chela is mired in a bit of a slump, but a move to the clay could snap him out of the doldrums. Simone Bolleli is a winnable match for Chela in round one, and then he would get Davydenko.

    It’s anyone’s ballgame in the third quarter of the draw, but with Davydenko potentially less than 100 percent, you have to like Almagro’s chances of advancing to the semifinals.

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