Thoughts for the First Three Rounds for the Men at the US Open and a Look Ahead

The First Three rounds are over at the US Open for the men.   Since yesterday I gave my thoughts on the women, today I decided to give my thoughts on the men's draw.  Who impressed me?  Who disappointed?  Find that out and a look ahead below.

The man who really impressed me has to be Tomas Berdych.  As you might recall, he was one of the people who I said had a terrible draw.  Well, he proved himself during this tournament.  He has only dropped one set, and has beaten a couple of really good opponents on his way to the Round of 16.  It looks as though his mid-summer slump was merely a bump in the road.  It is definitely a possibility that he can win another match and face most likely Roger Federer in the Quarterfinals.

Another player who has really impressed me is Andy Roddick.  Unlike Kim Clijsters, who seemed to be bogged down by her retirement announcement, Roddick seems to relish it.  Roddick is playing freely and without regrets, playing major-contending tennis.  He has only dropped one set, and when things were looking bad in the fourth set in his Third Round match against Fabio Fognini, he found another level and beat Fognini in four sets.  Roddick is playing some great tennis.

The same can not be said about Jo-Wilfred Tsonga.  When one is a top five seed, one is definitely at least to make it to the Quarterfinals and challenge the players at the top.  So, a Second Round loss to unseeded Martin Klizan is nothing other than a major disappointment.  It was not only the round that Tsonga lost in, but also the way he lost it.  After beating Klizan 6-1 in the second set to tie the match at one set a piece, Tsonga won a mere four games in the next two sets combined and whimpered out of the Second Round.  It seems as though Tsonga will never be on the level of the top 4 players.

Now, it is prediction time.  I believe Roger Federer will make it to the Semifinals, but my other semifinalist in that side of the draw might surprise some.  After a shaky First Round, Milos Raonic has not dropped a set, and I think he will beat Andy Murray in the Round of 16 and make it to the Semifinals.  In the other half of the draw, David Ferrer and Novak Djokovic will both advance to the Semifinals to play each other.  Federer will beat Raonic, and Djokovic will beat Ferrer.  This will set up a Roger Federer-Novak Djokovic final match.

In the Finals, Federer will get off to a hot start, and will beat Djokovic in three sets for his 18th major championship.