ATP Cincinnati Preview

The top male players will once again battle it out this week on the hard courts as they move onto Cincinnati. In the 1st quarter, Nadal is the number 1 seed and is projected to meet Berdych in the QF. Nadal should meet Wawrinka again and once again progress through to the QF. I also expect Berdych to come through without too many problems. In the 2nd quarter, Federer is projected to meet Davydenko. Federer should once again progress to the QF with Gael Monfils his likely 3R opponent. Davydenko however is on disappointing form and i cant see him making the QF here. I'm going to go for a surprise with Alexander Dologopolov to cause some upsets in beating both Querrey and Davy after some solid performances in recent months.

In the 3rd quarter, Verdasco is projected to meet Murray. Verdasco has suffered a dip in form and a possible 2R clash with Mardy Fish is not likely to improve his fortunes. Murray could face Gulbis early on however following on from his run in Toronto, i expect Murray to meet Fish in the QF. In the 4th quarter, Soderling is projected to meet Djokovic in what is by far the most difficult section. Soderling has the likes of Hewitt and Roddick to contend with before reaching the QF. The highlight match in the 2nd round could be between Nalbandian and Isner. I'm predicting that Isner will come through and also upset Djokovic who will struggle in the heat of Cincy. Therefore i'm going for a Soderling v Isner QF.

My tip for the title this week is going to be Andy Murray. With Nadal and Federer projected to square off in an enticing SF clash, Murray should face a much easier draw and should still be relatively fresh following a relatively straight forward run through Toronto. I'm going for Nadal to beat Federer in the SF but once again come up short against Murray however i anticipate a much closer match this time round after Murray's SF win over Nadal.