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  • French Open 2nd Round: Roger Federer vs. Albert Montanes

    5/28/08 8:35 PM | Ricky Dimon
    - On paper it looks like it should be another cakewalk for Roger Federer, but you never know with these clay-court specialists. That's just what Albert Montanes is, and he proved it with quarterfinal appearances in both Barcelona and Hamburg.

    The next roadblock for Roger Federer in his most recent quest to capture an elusive French Open title is unseeded and unheralded Albert Montanes. It will be the second career meeting between the two players and Federer leads the series 1-0, having gotten the better of Montanes on the clay courts of Monte-Carlo back in 2005.

    Even though that was three years ago, it's a good sign that Federer was able to take care of business against Montanes on dirt, because the Spaniard feels right at home on the red stuff. Montanes is really proving that this season with quarterfinal performances in both Barcelona and Hamburg. The 5'9'' Spaniard saw his Barcelona run end at the hands of 10th-ranked Stanislas Wawrinka in a tough three-setter, while Novak Djokovic took him out in Hamburg. Montanes' loss to the No. 3 player in the world, however, did not come before he destroyed Mardy Fish 6-1, 6-3, eased past Jose Acasuso 7-6(3), 6-3, and obliterated Janko Tipsarevic 6-1, 6-2. In the first round this week Montanes dispatched Kristof Vliegen in three tiebreakers.

    Montanes will have to recapture that incredible Barcelona and Hamburg form if he wants to stay on the court with Federer. The Swiss' clay-court exploits in 2008 include a title in Estoril and runner-up performances at the Masters Series Monte-Carlo and the Masters Series Hamburg. Federer lost to Nadal, of course, in both finals, but he managed to take a set in Hamburg and should have won at least one set in Monte-Carlo. He made short work of Sam Querrey in his first effort this week, ousting the American 6-4, 6-4, 6-3.

    The relative good news for Montanes, however, is that the No. 1 player in the world still has not been his normal self this year, losing to Andy Murray, Mardy Fish, Andy Roddick, and Radek Stepanek to go along with his two setbacks against Rafael Nadal.

    Don't count on Montanes becoming a part of that list. He simply does not have close to enough firepower to trouble Federer with anything, and therefore must get almost every ball back in hopes of Federer having an off day from the baseline. Montanes' clay-court prowess might allow him to make one or two sets interesting, but there is no reason why Federer should not take this in straights.

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