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  • Cincinnati Preview: Second Round, Third Quarter

    7/30/08 2:17 PM | Ricky Dimon
    - James Blake and an on-fire Gilles Simon will steal the show on Wednesday. Also in action, however, are Ernests Gulbis, Tomas Berdych, and Novak Djokovic.

    Ernests Gulbis vs. Arnaud Clement

    Gulbis let Jarkko Nieminen hang around in the first set on Monday, but he turned up the seat in set two and rolled into the second round. Clement needed a lucky loser spot just to get into the main draw, which he received when Stanislas Wawrinka bowed out. The Frenchman took advantage by ousting Thomas Johansson in three tough sets. Gulbis has far more talent that his opponent and the 19-year-old Latvian began to fulfill it by reaching the quarterfinals of the French Open. Clement, however, showed he has flashes of brilliance left by making it to the quarters of Wimbledon. If Gulbis serves well and plays an intelligent match, this will be over in straight sets.

    Tomas Berdych vs. Andreas Seppi

    Berdych survived a brutal first-round pairing with Fernando Gonzalez by taking out the Chilean in three sets. Seppi posted a nice straight-set victory over Feliciano Lopez. The Italian is enjoying his best season ever while Berdych is struggling a little bit by his standards, but the Czech is still a clear favorite in this clash. If Berdych plays like he did in the third set against Gonzalez, he should be able to dispatch Seppi in straight sets. He cannot afford to see that level drop, however, because Seppi is deceptively tough to beat. Seppi does not have one outstanding weapon, but he can serve big at times and just does everything rock-solid.

    Simone Bolelli vs. (3) Novak Djokovic

    Bolleli defeated qualifier Kevin Anderson in two sets on Tuesday and now will be Djokovic's first opponent in Cincinnati. The No. 3 seed is not exactly slumping at the moment, but in a way he hopes to right the ship after losing in the second round of Wimbledon to Marat Safin and getting upset by Andy Murray in the quarterfinals of the Masters Series Canada last week. Bolelli, an up-and-coming Italian, has a big game that can challenge Dokovic, but the fast surface in Cincinnati should be right up the Serb's ally, whereas Bolelli's best results have come on clay even though he is dangerous on all courts. Djokovic in two tight sets is the pick.

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