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  • Cincinnati Preview: Third Round, Third Quarter

    7/31/08 6:31 AM | Ricky Dimon
    - James Blake and Novak Djokovic are on a collision course for the Cincinnati quarterfinals. Looking to derail them, however, are Ernests Gulbis and Andreas Seppi.

    (7) James Blake vs. Ernests Gulbis

    This blockbuster showdown is a rematch of a second-round clash at this year's French Open. It gives Blake a chance for revenge, because Gulbis stunned the American in four tough sets. Blake could have the edge this time around because he is back on his favorite surface--the U.S. hard courts--and he dismantled in-form Gilles Simon 6-4, 6-3 in round two. Gulbis, meanwhile, ousted Jarkko Nieminen before struggling mightily with Arnaud Clement. The talented Latvian even had to save a match point with Clement serving at 5-4 in the third set. Blake-Gulbis will be an interesting matchup once again because you never know what you are going to get from either player. Blake slumped earlier this summer, but he reached the semifinals in Indianapolis and the quarterfinals in Toronto. Gulbis began to fulfill his potential by reaching the quarterfinals of the French Open, but his 2008 campaign has been marked by inconsistency, not uncommon for a 19-year-old. This match is a shotmaker's delight, but Blake looks in better form at the moment so he should come through in straight sets.

    Andreas Seppi vs. (3) Novak Djokovic

    Seppi posted a nice 7-5, 7-5 win over Feliciano Lopez in round one and then upset Tomas Berdych 5-7, 7-5, 7-5 to reach the third round. Clearly he is playing some inspired tennis at the clutch moments this week, but so too is Djokovic. The Serb survived Simone Bolelli 7-6(2), 7-6(2) in his first Cincinnati match on Wednesday afternoon. Seppi, who does not have one outstanding weapon but can serve big at times and just does everything rock-solid, is enjoying his best season ever. Djokovic, of course, scored his biggest career win earlier in 2008 by capturing the Australian Open. The world No. 3 is still trying to bounce back from losses to Marat Safin at Wimbledon and Andy Murray in Toronto, and this could be the time to do it. Seppi is deceptively tough to beat, but Djokovic should prevail in two relatively tough sets.

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Comments

I think you may be underestimating Gulbis' prospects ever so slightly for this match. You wrote ahead of his opening match that he'd not done very well since Roland Garros - I would refer you to the fact that at Wimbledon he was the only player other than Federer to take a set off Nadal.

I'm inclined to believe that he gets bored, or otherwise distracted, in the matches against lower ranked players that he's expected to win, resulting in the outcome's being unpredictable. So, seeing that you, Ricky, and probably others, are prediciting a Blake win today, causes me to be more inclined to believe that Gulbis might win.

A note of caution to those who say that he's still young, and will learn to control his play better. What about Cilic and Del Potro ? They are both a month younger than Gulbis, and both three inches taller to boot. Admittedly I don't see them as having anything near Gulbis's talent, but they do appear to be more mature.

lwalters , 7/31/08 4:22 PM


No I mentioned in a previous preview that he took a set off Nadal, but in general it has been up-and-down for Ernie in 2008, as you might expect from a 19-year-old.

Anyway, he beat Blake today, which is only surprising due to how he looked against Nieminen and Clement and how Blake looked against Simon. Other than that, however, nothing surprises me with Gulbis AND Blake; both are so streaky, you never know what you are going to get.

Gulbis can easily beat Djoker tomorrow. Just as easily he could lose 6-2, 6-2.

RickyDimon , 7/31/08 8:39 PM



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