And time to be resurrecting those vaguely meaningful round ups.
Simon d. Falla 4-6, 6-2, 6-2
I don't like it that Simon dropped a set, but all but drooled over the way in which he stepped up and took control thereafter.
The movement and timing seem to have picked up from where he left off at the end of last year. Still early days, but I rather like the sound of a quarter final against one Roger Federer.
Tsonga d. Scheuttler 4-6, 6-3, 6-4
Dead Horse? Rod. Rod? Dead Horse.
Apologies in advance to any Jo-Willy fan, but this was full of exactly the kind of play I find so troubling. Scheuttler's a veteran and it showed.
By playing more or less solid tennis he was able to expose Tsonga's lack of consistency that is fast becoming the trademark of his early round losses these months gone by.
There was some big serving and a few of those frabjous inside out forehands, but there's still no reason this should have gone to three sets. Be looking out for him to step it up next round.
Youzhny d. Isner 6-7, 6-1, 6-3
Well looky looky here.
Here's me thinking that the win over Cilic was an anomaly. It took three sets, but there's no doubting this is an impressive win for Youzhny. Don't expect him to get past Djoko, but I'd like to see him give some trouble.
I've kinda missed having Mikhail around. Sans headbanging.
del Potro d. Hernych 6-2, 7-5
I switched over to this during one of the changeovers in the Jo-Willy match. They had only just started practicing and del Potro was lumbering around in that way he normally does.
The next time I switched over del Potro was still lumbering around, except this time the score was 6-2 in his favour.
I continue to marvel at the way this guy has matured - I honestly had him down as a hothead.
Like I said before, I don't forsee many problems for him until he's made to square off with Nadal. And maybe not many more even then.
Verdasco d. Mayer 6-1, 6-1
Exactly the way I think top tenners should be conducting themselves in their opening rounds.
Didn't catch very much of this, but from what I saw, the other Fernando's forehand is in fine working order. I've never liked the look of his double hander, but that extended take back doesn't seem to be doing him much harm. Shows how much I know.
Davydenko d. Mathieu 7-6, 7-6
Didn't see any of this. But it seems to have the air of a Davydenko match, with its path-of-most-resistance-like journey into two tie breakers. And with Mathieu proving once again, that he nearly has what it takes not to be a nearly man.
Federer d. Niemeyer 7-6, 6-4
Ok this probably took a little longer than it should, but I'm not at all convinced that all is not in fully functioning order in Camp Federinec.
This match had all the airs and graces of his early round matches of years gone by. Not his best performance, but more than sufficient at this stage of the game.
Djokovic d. Polansky 6-4, 7-6
I switched over after the first set; which by the sounds of it is when things got interesting. Djoko looked about where he should be from what I could tell, and maybe I'm a teeny-bit concerned it got a little sticky in the second set. But give the man a break: he didn't drop a set, so all's well that end's well.
Murray d. Chardy 6-2, 6-2
An ideal start against an underrated opponent. The talk rages on about the possibility of a number 2 ranking by next week. I don't like any of it. But I did quite like the way Murray's chosen to deal with it.
"Rafa's missed quite a bit of tennis and if I get the opportunity [to move up] I would like to try to maintain it, and not just stay there for a couple of weeks."
(BBC)
Like the man says, what good will a transitional ranking attained on the back of Rafa's dodgy knee do him?
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