{"id":214,"date":"2011-04-03T13:29:59","date_gmt":"2011-04-03T13:29:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/heavytopspin.com\/?p=214"},"modified":"2011-04-03T13:29:59","modified_gmt":"2011-04-03T13:29:59","slug":"sunday-topspin-another-showdown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tennisabstract.com\/blog\/2011\/04\/03\/sunday-topspin-another-showdown\/","title":{"rendered":"Sunday Topspin: Another Showdown"},"content":{"rendered":"

Top two<\/em>: At 1:00 PM today, Novak Djokovic<\/strong> will attempt to remain undefeated for the season, and Rafael Nadal<\/strong> will try to claim his first title of 2011. \u00a0Neither will prove to be an easy task.<\/p>\n

The top two players in the world last met two weeks ago, in the final at Indian Wells, where Djokovic won after dropping the first set. \u00a0Today may be more favorable to Nadal, given the humid conditions in Miami and the confidence gained by a thorough drubbing of Roger Federer<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

For all that, I have a hard time picking Nadal for the win. \u00a0Djokovic has been so dominant this week as to be boring. \u00a0A few bagels make news until they are so routine that you stop noticing. \u00a0The Serbian hasn’t been pushed beyond 6-4 in any set, and has dropped only 18 games in five matches. \u00a0Nadal has been impressive, as well, but the set he lost to Tomas Berdych<\/strong> in the quarterfinals remind us that he’s human.<\/p>\n

The oddsmakers give Nadal a slender advantage, suggesting he has a 53% chance of winning. \u00a0I think Djokovic will triumph again–a short-lived victory, since their next meeting is likely to come on clay, where the percentages associated with Nadal will be much higher than 53%.<\/p>\n

Challengers: <\/em>In Barletta, the final will be contested today between Filippo Volandri<\/strong> and a surprise contender, Slovenian wild card Aljaz Bedene<\/strong>. \u00a0Bedene is currently ranked outside top 400, and has a career high in the 200s. \u00a0He is only 21, and appears to be coming back from an injury that kept him out of action for the entire second half of 2010. \u00a0It’s been a solid run to get him to the final, including victories over Albert Ramos<\/strong> and Alessio di Mauro<\/strong>, neither one an easy opponent on clay.<\/p>\n

The final at St. Brieuc involves another up-and-comer, 22-year-old Frenchman Maxime Teixeira<\/strong>, who will face the younger, more heralded Benoit Paire<\/strong>. \u00a0Paire is hoping to inch a couple of spots closer to the top 100, while his opponent has more conservative goals. \u00a0A win for Paire would move him to #115, while Teixeira, who started last week at #267 and also reached the final in Marrakech, could climb as high as #189.<\/p>\n

Finally, the Barranquilla challenger will be between two Argentines, Facundo Bagnis<\/strong> and Diego Junquiera<\/strong>. \u00a0Bagnis is yet another prospect, a 21-year-old who will break into the top 200 with his performance this week. \u00a0Bagnis shut down the persistent Flavio Cipolla<\/strong> in the semifinals, while Junquiera needed three sets (and two tiebreaks) to win his match with second-seeded Horacio Zeballos<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Clay already: <\/em>Once the yellow fuzz is settled in Miami, our attention will turn to the clay-court season, with 250-level events in Casablanca and Houston. \u00a0The level of play will probably be higher in Casablanca, as more clay-courters will be there, but Houston is likely to host more intriguing matchups, for the very same reason.<\/p>\n

The draws are already out; here are a few of the first-rounders in Texas:<\/p>\n