Tournament: Madrid Masters
Madrid, Spain
October 12-19, 2008
€2,270,000 / 48 Draw
Surface: Hard

Defending Champ: David Nalbandian

Top seeds: Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray

It's not easy being the world number two. Check out Federer's half, almost all the in-form players are present. Players like Nalbandian, Roddick, Del Potro, Robredo, Gonzalez, Monfils, Cilic, Murray, Tsonga, Youzhny, Berdych, Stepanek.

Nadal will have his hands full against the young latvian in his opener. Djokovic is in the same half as Nadal.

Who takes the title?

Round Two Fixtures

Rafael Nadal (ESP) vs. Ernest Gulbis (LAT)
Mardy Fish (USA) vs. Richard Gasquet (FRA)
Stanislas Wawrinka (SUI) vs. Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER)/Carlos Moya (ESP)
David Ferrer (ESP) vs. Feliciano Lopez (ESP)/Albert Montanes (ESP)
Novak Djokovic (SRB) vs. Dimitry Tursunov (RUS)/Victor Hanescu (ROU)
Ivo Karlovic (CRO) vs. Florent Serra (FRA)/Robin Soderling (SWE)
James Blake (USA)/Gilles Simon (FRA)
Nikolay Davydenko (RUS) vs. Michaël Llodra (FRA)/Robby Ginepri (USA)

Andy Roddick (USA) vs. Andreas Seppi (ITA)/Tommy Robredo (ESP)
Fernando Gonzalez (CHI) vs. Gaël Monfils (FRA)/Fabio Fognini (ITA)
Fernando Verdasco (ESP) vs. Olivier Rochus (BEL)/Marin Cilic (CRO)
Simone Bolelli (ITA) vs. Andy Murray (GBR)
David Pablo Nalbandian (ARG) vs. Rainer Schüttler (GER)/Tomas Berdych (CZE)
Juan Marin Del Potro (ARG) vs. Mikhail Youzhny (RUS)/Jarkko Nieminen (FIN)
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA) vs. Paul-Henri Mathieu (FRA)/Marcel Granollers-Pujol (ESP)
Radek Stepanek (CZE) vs. Roger Federer (SUI)

Some Second Round Results
Lopez - Montanes 7-6, 6-3 
Hanescu - Tursunov 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 
Ginepri - Llodra 6-4, 6-4 
Soderling - Serra 6-3, 6-4 
Kohlschreiber - Moya 6-2, 6-2 
Monfils - Fognini 6-2, 6-4 
Nieminen - Youzhny 7-5, 3-6, 6-2 
Granollers-Pujol - Mathieu 6-4, 6-4

Some Second Round Results
Nadal - Gulbis 7-5, 3-6, 6-3 
Gasquet - Fish 6-7, 6-4, 6-3 
Murray - Bolelli 6-0, 2-1 
Cilic - Verdasco 6-2, 6-3 
Simon - Blake 3-6, 6-1, 6-4

Roger Federer [/b]returned from a five-week layoff to beat Radek [b]Stepanek 6-3, 7-6 (6) on Wednesday in the second round of the Madrid Masters.

The 2006 champion rallied from a 5-3 deficit in the tiebreak with some excellent shotmaking, including a backhand that landed in the far corner on match point.

"Happy to be back on tour," Federer said. "Happy with this first round. It was always going to be tough against Radek and he played a great second set."

Federer, playing his first ATP event since winning the US. Open last month, will face Australian Open finalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

"I'm excited. He's had a rocky season with injuries this year, so I feel for the guy," Federer said of his French opponent. "He's probably one of the guys you want to be playing out there."

Other Second Round Results:

Wawrinka - Kohlschreiber 3-6, 7-5, 7-6
Lopez - Ferrer [/b]6-4, 7-6
[b]Djokovic - Hanescu 6-7, 7-6, 3-1
Karlovic - Soderling 7-6, 7-6
Ginepri - Davydenko [/b]4-6, 6-4, 6-4
[b]Roddick - Robredo  6-3, 6-4
Monfils - Gonzalez [/b]6-3, 6-4
[b]Nalbandian - Berdych 6-2, 6-7, 6-1
Del Potro - Nieminen 6-2, 4-2
Tsonga - Granollers-Pujol 3-6, 6-3, 7-6

Third Round Fixtures

Rafael Nadal (ESP) vs. Richard Gasquet (FRA)
Stanislas Wawrinka (SUI) vs. Feliciano Lopez (ESP)
Novak Djokovic (SRB) vs. Ivo Karlovic (CRO)
Gilles Simon (FRA) vs. Robby Ginepri (USA)
Andy Roddick (USA) vs. Gaël Monfils (FRA)
Marin Cilic (CRO) vs. Andy Murray (GBR)
David Pablo Nalbandian (ARG) vs. Juan Marin Del Potro (ARG)
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA) vs. Roger Federer (SUI)

Good one FOD

Kip it up!

Go Fed!

Tsonga vs Federer. . . . . hmmmm, a juicy 1.

Tsonga vs Federer 4-6 1-6

Nadal vs Gasquet 6-4 6-2

G Monfils 6 3 6
A Roddick 4 6 3

F Lopez 6 6 - - -
S Wawrinka 4 4 - - -

A Murray 7 7 - - -
M Cilic 5 6 - - -

J Del Potro 6 6 - - -
D Nalbandian 4 2 - - -


G Simon 6 6 7 - -
R Ginepri 7 4 6 - -


Some surprise results there. . . . .

Djoko's have a hard time - lost the first set and is stull grappling with this Karlovic. . . . . . who is this dude anyway

Surprise, surprise

World Number 3, Novak Djokovic is out. . . . . . . Lost 7-6, 7-6 to Karlovic

Ruudie, thanks for the updates. I'm not surprised Tallest beat Djokovic, just like Roddick, his strength lies in his monstrous serve, which he uses well against the top players.

Federer took out Tsonga with ease. He beat Del Potro 6-3, 6-3 today. Up next for him, Murray, who beat Monfils 6-2, 6-2.

I expect Nadal and Karlovic to complete the semi-final line-up.

Murray vs Federer Semi. . . . looks like another Federer - Nadal final is on the cards again!

Thanks FOD. . . . . but your wish is not granted oh. Karlovic lost to the Frenchman Simon - it was a thrilling rollercoaster match. . . . great tennis match! it required a tie-breaker 2 seperate both guys.

7-6 4-6 6-6 [7-3]

1/2 finals

Nadal vs Giles Simon
Federer vs Murray

Hey guys. federer just lost to Murray 3-6, 6-3, 7-5. So its ost definitely a Murray-Nadal final. Is Murray finally beginning to fulfil his potential?

tng:

Hey guys. federer just lost to Murray 3-6, 6-3, 7-5. So its ost definitely a Murray-Nadal final. Is Murray finally beginning to fulfil his potential?

Surprise, surprise
Glad to hear this though cuz i want Nadal's reign at No.1 to be a very lengthy one!

bet if some1 had told FEdex that he'd have a pretty torrid time tryna equal / break Sampras' grandslam titles records, he'd have argued differently. . . . well, here it is for all to see. The opposition's finally caught up with the FEdexpress.

Nadal is blowing Simon away. . . . . Go Nadal!

Surprise, surprise
Glad to hear this though because i want Nadal's reign at No.1 to be a very lengthy one!

bet if someone had told FEdex that he'D have a pretty torrid time trying to equal / break Sampras' grandslam titles records, he'D have argued differently. . . . well, here it is for all to see. The opposition's finally caught up with the FEdexpress.

You could say that again.

Simon's giving Nadal a sturdier challenge in set 2. . . . might be settled by a tie-break, this 1.

@ ruudie, u were right about the tiebreak though not in favour of Nadal. its all good. live to fight another day.

i'd love murray to take the title,
although i tip Nadal because he is at home

Nadal lost. so annoying.
but i must commend simon, for him it must be like he is living a dream right now, i mean the guy was completely fagged out at the end of the second set, it was only a matter of time before he caved in or so i thought. how he managed to hang on and beat Nadal in front of his home crowd astonishes even himself. he gave it his all and it paid off. he dug deep inside himself to find the strength he needed. what mental toughness, to be able to do that against no other person but the world's no 1 is very very commendable.
well done Simon.
if you go on and win this tournament then the fairytale ends well.

bagoma:

Nadal lost. so annoying.

Everyday no be xmas

How you be baby?

Arsenal's "fake" success don dey bring you here recently.

Meet me for YIM jo

nice one , murray make take this one

tng:

@ ruudie, u were right about the tiebreak though not in favour of Nadal. its all good. live to fight another day.

Yep. . . . u're right! Well, at least he clings onto no.1 for the time being - but i'd love Simon to finish off what he's started - win the title!

Murray won

dayokanu:

Murray won

yep. . . . he sure did and he was simply phenomenal - he totally deserved it. He's played like a champ in this tourney!

nice one for murray im happy for him considering his loss to pa roger for the us open
another fat cash check for the dude, men!