in Tennis Articles

MONTE CARLO, Monaco – With the top eight seeds sitting out the first round with a BYE, day one of the Monte Carlo Master Series saw ninth seed David Nalbandian, thirteenth seed Mikhail Youzhny, sixteenth seed Juan Carlos Ferrero advance through their first-round matchups with relative ease.

However, fourteenth seed Marcos Baghdatis and the fifteenth seed Jarkko Nieminen were not so fortunate. Marcos Baghdatis, who has not won a match since February, continued his losing streak with a first-round loss to Max Mirnyi 7-5, 6-4, while Jarkko Nieminen lost to powerhouse Marat Safin in three sets 5-7, 6-3, 6-2.

With two seeded players already out of the tournament, attention turns to the top eight seeds: Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Nikolay Davydenko, Fernando Gonzalez, Tommy Robredo, Novak Djokovic, Ivan Ljubicic and Andy Murray, as they prepare for their first matches in the second round.

With the No. 1 seed Roger Federer, and two-time Monte Carlo Masters Series defending champion, No. 2 seed Rafael Nadal, falling on opposite sides of the draw, their run at this tournament will be followed with great anticipation.

Federer’s determination to claim all four Grand Slam titles in a year has been denied by Nadal’s claim on the French Open title two years in a row. Should Federer and Nadal meet in the final round at the Monte Carlo Master Series, then the result of their matchup will be largely seen as a precursor for the odds on the French Open.

Of course, Federer’s run at the Monte Carlo Master Series will have its challengers before a potential matchup against Rafael Nadal can be set up in the final round. In the same draw, Federer could come up against Mikhail Youzhny in the third round, Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals and Fernando Gonzalez or Ivan Ljubicic in the semifinals.

If there is a threat to Federer’s aspirations of defeating Rafael Nadal for the first time in his career on clay, it presents itself in the potential quarterfinal matchup against Novak Djokovic.

Djokovic, who is largely considered the player of the 2007 season, looks the stronger of the two on paper. With a 25/5 YTD win/loss record at the start of this tournament, he has won more matches than any other player and claimed two titles already this season, one of which was his first Master Series in Miami. Without a doubt, Federer would be have a tough match against Djokovic. However, should he defeat Djokovic, his path to the final round would likely be easier.

Rafael Nadal sets out to defend his Monte Carlo Master Series title for a third consecutive time – a feat that has not been accomplished at this event since Ilie Nastase won the title in 1971, 72, and 73. It remains to be seen whether the opportunity to defend his title will present itself, let alone against Roger Federer.

Although Nadal is not without obstacles in his run to the final round, barring injuries, he is a good bet to advance to the final round on the other side of the draw. Dubbed as the Clay Court King, Nadal is the heavy favorite at any clay court event this season.

Coming into the Monte Carlo Master Series, Nadal is on a 62-match winning streak on clay, making him the player to beat at this event. In Nadal’s side of the draw, the players who will potentially have the opportunity to try and beat him are Marat Safin in the third round, Andy Murray in the quarterfinals and Tommy Robredo or Nikolay Davydenko in the semifinals.

Considering Marat Safin and Rafael Nadal have never played before, their potential third-round matchup could be the biggest obstacle in Nadal’s run to the final. Should Nadal weather the Russian storm, his path to the final round should be relatively easier with Andy Murray, Tommy Robredo or Nikolay Davydenko as his challengers.

Therefore, as Rafael Nadal puts his 62-match clay-winning streak on the line this week in Monte Carlo, the tennis world will watch with great anticipation as the results unfold.

Nila Amerova is a freelance sports writer and regular contributor to the BetUS.com Locker Room.