Federer Captures 64th Career Title in Stockholm, Ties Sampras

It seems that playing a few lower-level tournaments is Roger Federer's way of slowly gaining momentum and confidence for the big ones. In Stockholm, on Sunday, the Swiss took out Florian Mayer 6-4, 6-3 to capture his 64th career title, tying Pete Sampras for 4th on the all time titles list, behind only Jimmy Connors, Ivan Lendl and John McEnroe. While the win probably says little to what R-Fed's current form is, it's still crucial for the world number 2 to go into the final few tournaments of the season with a vengeance after being handled quite easily by the world's best as of late.

Conrats Rog! Keep it up!

Aussie Ana Wins First Title in Two Years

It wasn't too long ago when Ana Ivanovic was out of the top 60 and practically unable to toss her serve in her own vicinity. Things have clearly changed.

The Serbian has slowly but surely returned to her hard-hitting, flat-groundstroking game that brought her to the top of the sport in June of 2008. In Linz on Sunday the now 29th ranked Ivanovic routed Patty Schnyder 6-1, 6-2 in just 45 minutes, closing the match out with an ace on her second MP. It was obvious that emotions were running high for Ana. Playing in her first final in 19 months, the 2008 French Open champ came out with a chip on her shoulder. After switching between several coaches in the past couple years, Ana seems to have found her match in Heinz Gunthardt.

"Winning again after two years is so wonderful, just unbelievable," said Ivanovic, who didn't drop a set all tournament. "I have been waiting so long for this and I worked hard to achieve it."

Take note, Dinara Safina. This is how you execute a comeback.

Federer Fries Fish; Wins 4th Cincy Crown

Just goes to show you what a well-rested Roger Federer can achieve, right?

The 16-time Grand Slam champion ended a 7-month winless streak when he defended his Cincinnati Masters title with a tough 3-set win over Mardy Fish. Fish played incredibly to take the first set 7-6 (5), holding serve consistently before cracking the Swiss late in the breaker. Federer rebounded to take the second set by the same score, and continued his momentum into the decider, winning it 6-4 to capture his 4th title at the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters.

The American played the tennis of his life to get to the championship match, derailing Fernando Verdasco, Andy Murray and Andy Roddick en route to his encounter with Federer. Roger, on the other hand, spent significantly less time on court, playing for just 3 hours and 17 minutes before the final match, which lasted 2 hours and 40 minutes.

“It’s nice knowing that the hard work already in the off season after Wimbledon pays off right away," said Federer, who, with the win, returned to number 2 in the world. The hard work has payed off for Fish, as well, as the 28-year old lost 30 pounds and started a new fitness regime last fall. Since July, he is 17-2, with titles in Atlanta and Newport. Hopefully, Mardy hasn't peaked to early, and will make some noise at the US Open.

Stosur, Vika and Clijsters Reach Eastbourne Quarters; Simon Back to Winning Ways

Kim Clijster's return to the tour after a 6-week layoff due to an ankle injury has been a triumphant one. The Belgian looks primed for a good run at Wimbledon, as she has lost 2 games in 2 matches to reach the Eastbourne quarterfinals. After crushing Yanina Wickmayer, Clijsters handed a similar beat down to Lucie Safarova, earning a 6-1, 6-0 win in a whopping 38 minutes. Sam Stosur's win took on a different storyline, as the Aussie ousted Daniela Hantuchova 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 after having 3 match points.

Aravane Rezai retired down 6-2, 3-0 to Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez, and Victoria Azarenka punished junior Heather Watson 1 and 1. Marion Bartoli worked hard for a 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 comeback win against Agnes Szavay while Nadia Petrova was crushed by Ekaterina Makarova, 6-2, 6-0. Svetlana Kuznetsova is unseeded at the Wimbledon warm-up, as her ranking has tumbled to 20th, but she pulled off an impressive 3-set victory against Sorana Cirstea, 4-6, 7-6 (6, 7-6, (4).

In the men's tournament, Gilles Simon, who had yet to play a match before his first round win over Evgeny Korolev, and the Frenchman continued his triumphant return with a a 3-set victory against Alex Kuznetsov, 6-1, 6-7 (3), 7-6 (2). Top seeded Nicolas Almagro was taken off the court on a stretcher after slipping at the baseline and suffering a hip injury against Denis Istomin. The Spaniard was down 6-4, 1-0. Julien Benneteau won in straights to reach the quarters, along with 8th seeded Michael Llodra, a 3 set winner.

Querrey Wins All-American Queens Final, Li Tops Sharapova for Birmingham Title

Sam Querrey became the first player on the ATP Tour to win titles on 3 different surfaces in 2010 by winning an all-American final at Queens Club over Mardy Fish on Sunday. Querrey overcame a loaded draw this week, one that included Nadal, Roddick, Murray and Djokovic, so the 7-6 (3), 7-5 victory over his compatriot should give him a much-needed boost heading into Wimbledon, starting on June 21st.

“I’m playing great on the grass, and now I’ve got a week to practice and regroup,” said Querrey, now ranked 23rd. “I’d love to win Wimbledon. I’m kind of going with baby steps (to) try and make the third round this year, because the second round is the best I’ve ever done there."

Querrey hit 15 aces against Fish, who ousted Andy Murray and Feliciano Lopez in what was also a very impressive week. Sam, though, looks primed to improve greatly on that career-best 2nd-round Wimby finish. Perhaps we could see a surprise 2nd round appearance.

In Birmingham, top-seeded Li Na had a brilliant week herself, capping off her title run with a 7-5, 6-1 won over Maria Sharapova. Li kept her composure with Sharapova hit 7 double faults on a serving day that was much different than that of her semifinal match, where she hit 12 aces. Li fell in the 2009 Birmingham final but was able to one-up that performance, earning the world number 11 her 1st title of 2010.

Both ladies should have a lot of confidence heading into the year's 3rd slam. Li's game has been continually consistent, while Sharapova reached her first grass-court final in 3 years, clinching 4 impressive wins to get there. If the Russian can keep her serve under control she could possibly make a lot of noise at the slam she won in 2004 at age 17.

Rafa Makes History With Win Over Fed; 18th Masters Title

We waited an entire year for the greatest rivalry in tennis to be reignited and when it happened, on Sunday in the finals of the Madrid Masters, it was all that we expected and more, as Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer when head to head in two tough and compelling sets. Nadal came out on top, winning his 3rd straight title and improving his record against his Swiss nemesis to 14-7, while his 2010 clay record stayed perfect. Rafa broke in the 7th game of the first set and continued to hold serve, taking the opener 6-4. Federer got off to a strong start in the 2nd, only to go down a break again. The world number 1 evened the set at 6-6 but lost a closely played tiebreaker 7-5, whiffing the Spaniard's service return on match point.

“The most important thing is winning at home; winning in Madrid is a dream. After that, I think about the ranking,” said Rafa, who will return to number 2 in the rankings. “Against this opponent, it’s always going to be difficult.”

“I wasn’t able to defend my title here today but I thought Rafa played an incredible clay-court season,” said Federer, the 2009 Madrid champion. “I’m looking forward to Paris now. I’m happy with my clay-court game.”

Rezai Upsets Venus to Take Madrid Title

With her assertive style of play and strong will, Aravane Rezai defeated Venus Williams 6-2, 7-5 to win the Madrid Open, her 3rd career WTA title. Following this week's performance, Venus will rise to number 2 in the rankings, but on Sunday she most definitely did not play like it, squandering a 2 break lead and 6 set points in the 2nd set before allowing Rezai to regain composure and real off 5 consecutive games.

It’s been the best week of my career,” said Rezai, who defeated Jelena Jankovic and Justine Henin en route to the finals. “I played very well and I’m very proud of myself because it was a very tough tournament and there were a lot of players here—everyone was here—so I just believed in myself.”

It's Been Too Long! Fed and Rafa to Meet in Madrid Finals

I'll be honest, at one point I thought we may never see another Federer/Nadal final AGAIN. I mean, it was a pretty reasonable thought. Rafa's knees and Fed's inconsistency outside the majors and those other guys, like Murray and Nole and DelPo. But finally, every tennis fan got their wish when both Rafa and Roger advanced to the finals in Madrid, marking what will be their first meeting since the finals here last year. 1 year! Let's hope it doesn't take that long again.

Anyways...

Nadal got off to an extremely slow start, being broken in his first 3 games and losing the opening set to fellow Spaniard Nicolas Almagro, who was firing on all cylinders. but Nadal proved why he's the world's best clay-courter, charging back to easily win the next two sets and the match, 4-6, 6-2, 6-2. The win improves Rafa's 2010 record on the clay to 14-0, and he will be vying for his 3rd victory in 4 weeks in Sunday's final, telling the press that this year has been "nearly perfect."

More so than we were with Rafa, we were worried that Roger wouldn't complete his half of the "Fedal" equation. And truthfully, at times, I doubted it would happen, considering how stellar of a season David Ferrer has been having and how unstellar the Swiss has been. BUT, Federer prevailed, 7-5, 3-6, 6-3 to reach his FIRST final since Australia.

"After playing here last year you figured, maybe the French, Wimbledon or down the stretch in America at the latest we’ll face off again, but it just never ended up happening,” said the world number 1. “It shows how incredible our last few years have been and I think it’s exciting for tennis and for us obviously that we can face off again.”

In last year's Madrid Open final, Federer beat Nadal 6-4, 6-4 and then went on to win in Roland Garros.

Madrid Results: Fed, Rafa and Venus Reach Semis, Jankovic and Murray Fall

After suffering a devastating defeat to Ernests Gulbis at the Italian Open two weeks ago, Roger Federer turned the tables on the Latvian in Madrid, mounting an impressive comeback to defeat Gulbis, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4. Rafael Nadal has yet to drop a set this week at the Mutua Madrilena Masters, where he is the defending runner-up, making quick work of Gael Monfils, 6-1, 6-3, to advance to the semifinals.

Just one week after receiving an absolute beatdown at the hands of Jelena Jankovic, Venus Williams had little difficulty beating one of the other hottest players on tour, Sam Stosur, who could have broken into the top 5 with a win.

“Her game plan seemed to be to just attack everything,” said Williams, following her 3 and 3 win. “She played well. But there were some key points, and at the end, from 4-3, I felt like I went, on autopilot, so it felt good.”

Venus will take on Shahar Peer, who took out Li Na in 3 sets, while Lucia Safarova, who beat Nadia Petrova 6-1, 1-6, 6-4, will face Aravane Rezai, a upset victor against Jankovic.

David Ferrer pulled off an unexpected upset by beating 4th-seeded Andy Murray in straight sets to advance to the final 4, where the Spaniard will take on Federer. Over the course of the 7-5, 6-3 win, which lasted 2 hours and 11 minutes, Ferrer proved why he is constantly a lay-court threat, while Murray showed some of his amateur tendencies that popped up in March. To complete the trifecta of Spaniards in the final, Nicolas Almagro easily defeated Jurgen Melzer, 6-3, 6-1 to earn the right to play Rafa for a finals berth.

Madrid Results: Federer Advances, Dementieva and Wozniacki Ousted on Day 3 in Madrid

Madrid Results postings have been slow 'cuz I've been totally bogged down with school shit and all the rest....ya catch my drift?

But I forced myself to bring you all some of the happenings from Madrid so far. As I'm sure you know, Kuzzie, Maria, Dinara and Vika have all been upset. Serena won in an epic match against Vera Dushevina 7-6, 6-7, 7-6 and Venus won her opening round match on Sunday. Ferrer, Monfils (debuting K-Swiss) and Almagro all advanced and that should catch you up. Now, on to today.

Roger Federer looked better than he did last week (thankfully) in beating Benjamin Becker today, winning in 2 sets 6-2, 7-6 (4). Ernests Gulbis picked up right where he left off in his fantastic run in Rome, defeating last week's Estoril winner Albert Montanes 6-1, 7-5. Mikhail Youzhny earned a comeback victory, 2-6, 6-3, 6-1 as did John Isner 5-7, 6-2, 6-2. Stanislas Wawrinka and Thomaz Bellucci both won in straight sets.

Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez was showered with publicity for her brilliant victory in Rome last week, but Sam Stosur has been just as impressive, and proved to the world that she is without a doubt a Roland Garros contender by ousting Martinez Sanchez in Madrid today, 7-6 (2), 6-4. 16th seeded Nadia Petrova won 6-2, 7-5 against Klara Zakopalova, who beat Safina yesterday. Shahar Peer won in a lopsided match against Alisa Kleybanova, 7-6 (4), 6-0. Li Na beat Dominika Ciblukova 7-5 in the third.

Fernando Verdasco overcame a tall task in beating 6'10 Ivo Karlovic 7-6 (6), 6-3, while Sam Querrey was narrowly defeated by Daniel Munoz- De La Nava 6-7 (3), 6-5, 7-5. Marcos Baghdatis beat Marco Chiudinelli 3 and 4, joining others such as Victor Hanescu, Phillip Petzschner and Guillermo Garcia-Lopez in the 3rd round.

Venus Williams didn't get the best draw in Rome, as she was set to play Vera Zvonareva, only unseeded because she has fallen out of the top 20, in the 2nd round. Despite this difficult task, Venus handled the Russian with ease, winning the late-night encounter in 2 sets. The upsets in the ladies' draw continued as Caroline Wozniacki,now in jeopardy of losing her number 2 ranking, was bested by Alona Bondarenk0 6-2, 6-3. Elena Dementieva was beaten in 3 sets by Alexandra Dulgheru, 6-1, 3-6, 7-5 while Agnieszka Radwanksa, Marion Bartoli and Flavia Pennetta, all seeded in the top 15 this week, were upset.

Rome Womens Results: Jankovic Saves 1 MP to Reach Finals, Martinez Sanchez Dominates

One day Jelena Jankovic is pummeling her opponents, like in Thursday's match with Venus Williams, and the next day she is hanging on by a thread, like today. Serena Williams held a match point against the Serbian in their semifinal match in Rome, but JJ gritted her way to a huge victory to reach her 2nd final of the year. Serena served for the match twice in the final set and had a 5-2 lead in the 3rd set tiebreak, but Jankovic proved that no lead is ever safe, bringing herself back into the match and eventually coming out on top.

“To beat both Williams sisters in two days is really amazing,” said Jelena. “I’m really proud of myself. It doesn’t happy too often.” Serena, though, felt like it was her match to win, telling the press, “I wasn’t playing the points right. I feel like I should have won, could have won. I think I had an apple in my throat, but it is what it is.”

Jelena's final round opponent will be someone no one expected, as Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez had an easy time beating Ana Ivanovic, the story of the tournament, in their semi. Ivanovic struggled mightily with Martinez Sanchez's serve and volley approach, along with her varying slices, which caused the Serb to make many mistakes.

The Spaniard is ranked 26th, and following her 6-4, 6-2 victory, is guaranteed to improve her ranking by several spots. Ivanovic has slipped all the way down to 58th, but will also be assured of a significant ranking increase after her surprisingly impressive showing in Italy.

Federer Reaches Estoril Semis, to Play Montanes

Despite a very shaky start, Roger Federer advanced to the semifinals of the Estoril Open after defeating Arnaud Clement 7-6 (7), 6-2. Federer was broken in the opening game of the match but was able to rally himself to pull out a tough first set, which he followed up with a dominating 2nd set performance. His semifinal opponent will be defending champion Albert Montanes, who beat Pablo Cuevas 6-4, 6-3. In the other semi, Federico Gil, who recovered from a set down to win, will play Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, a straight set winner.

Rome Womens Results: Ivanovic, Serena, JJ and Martinez Sanchez into Semis

After Ana Ivanovic beat Elena Vesnina in the first round we were all happy that she atleast won a match. After she took out Victoria Azarenka, we were impressed, but made sure we didn't hype this whole thing up too much. Then she gritted out her match with Elena Dementieva and beat one more Russian, Nadia Petrova, today, 6-2, 7-5, to reach the semis. Now I think it's appropriate to conjure up the possibilities of Ana *gulp* possibly becoming a contender again. She has been extremely poised all week while managing her usually erratic ball toss and keeping those fiery emotions in check.

Next, she'll take on Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez, who beat Caroline Wozniacki on Wednesday and Lucie Safarova 7-6 (6), 6-4. The Spaniard hit 7 aces in the win, which was interrupted by a 15 minute rain delay near the end of the first set.

If anyone has shown that they are ready to contend at the French open, it's Jelena Jankovic. After dominating Yanina Wickmayer, the Serb played even better today, if that's possible, in steamrolling Venus Williams 6-0, 6-1. When asked if she was expecting to beat venus so easily, JJ replied, "Of course not. I had so many tough matches against Venus. It’s great to win—6-0, 6-1 is really unbelievable."

Things won't get any easier for the top-ranked Serb, though, as next up is Serena Williams, amazed she is still in the tournament despite coming off numerous injuries. Serena played her best match of the tournament in dispatching Maria Kirilenko 6-1, 6-4. Williams struggled mightily with her serve but was solid off the ground, preventing Krilenko from getting back in the match during a rough stretch in the second. "My knee is feeling good so far," the world number 1 said. "I can’t believe I’m still in the tournament—it’s weird."

Rome Womens Results: Ivanovic Notches a 3rd Straight W, Wozniacki Upset

Despite the heavily-hyped return of Serena Williams to the WTA Tour, it's the more under-the-radar players who are impressing in Rome. Jelena Jankovic and Yanina Wickmayer were expected to be caught in a closely played match, but their encounter turned out to be completely one-sided, as the 7th seeded Jankovic blew the 11th-seeded Wickmayer off the court, 6-2, 6-0. Another Serb, Ana Ivanovic, proved just how far a slight ounce of confidence can take you, as the former number 1 followed up her win over Victoria Azarenka with a straight-set victory against Elena Dementieva. Nadia Petrova fought hard to earn a 3-set win over Alexandra Dulgheru while Lucie Safarova upset Agnieszka Radwanksa 7-6 (1) in the third.

Both Serena and her sister Venus reached the quarterfinals on Wednesday, and with one more win by each, could face off in the semis. Serena took out Andrea Petkovic 6-2, 3-6, 6-0 in an erratic performance that the American described as "rusty". Venus, on the other hand, had a much easier time, defeating Shahar Peer 3 and 4. Maria Kirilenko dropped the first set against Dominika Cibulkova only to come roaring back, taking the next two 6-1. In the biggest story of the day, Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez shocked Caroline Wozniacki 6-4, 6-2.

Roger Wins First Clay Match of 2010 in Estoril

I think it's safe to say that despite his struggles since winning in Australia, Roger Federer is a heavy, heavy favorite to win in Estoril, and anything less than a triumph in Portugal will have the Swiss' loyal and dedicated fans (me included!) pushing the panic button.

So, having played poorly in his last few outings, Roger began his campaign in Estoril with a solid win over Bjorn Phau, 6-3, 6-4. The victory put the world number 1 in the quarters, where he will take on Arnaud Clement. In that same top section of the draw lies Albert Montanes and Pablo Cuevas, both straight set winner. The remaining 4 quarterfinal spots will be decided tomorrow.

Rome Womens Results: Ana Upsets Vika, Safina Goes Down and The Williams' Win

At the ladies' tournament in Rome, Serena Williams played her first match since her Aussie Open win, and the American number 1 came out on top, defeating Timea Bacsinszky 7-6 (2), 6-1. In Williams' section of the draw, Maria Kirilenko upset 5th seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-4 in the third and will play Dominika Cibulkova, a straight set winner.

In the loaded 2nd quarter of the draw, Venus Williams advanced to the Round of 16 with a quick 2 and 2 win against Patty Schnyder. Her 4th round opponent will be Shahar Peer a 3-set comeback winner over Polona Hercog. Yanina Wickmayer and Jelena Jankovic will face off in a block-buster match after both women fought hard to earn 3-set wins over Aravane Rezai and Bethanie Mattek-Sands, respectively.

It's quite obvious that Ana Ivanovic's career has suffered a severe downslide, but her win over 9th-seeded Victoria Azarenka, her first win over a top-tenner since Linz in 2008, was an extremely positive note in an extremely depressing year thus far. The 6-4, 6-4 victory gave the Serb her first back-to-back wins since the Australian in January. But things won't get easier for Ana, as her next opponent will be another hard-hitting blonde in Elena Dementieva, also a straight set winner. Dinara Safina's comeback from a devastating back injury hasn't gone as planned, as the Russian fell in 3 sets to Alexandra Dulgheru. Dulgheru will face Nadia Petrova in the 4th round.

In the 4th quarter, Agnieszka Radwanska thwarted Roberta Vinci and Caroline Wozniacki crushed Maria Elena Camerin. Both ladies lost just one game in their matches and will take on Lucie Safarova and Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez, respectively.

Rafa Wins Record-Tying 17th Masters Title in Rome

In yet another all-Spaniard final, Rafael Nadal and David Ferrer battled in the final of the Internazionali BNL d'Italia final. The match was interrupted by two different rain delays, but despite the irritating breaks in play, Rafa once again showed his clay-court dominance, defeating David Ferrer in straight sets for his 5th title in Rome and 17th Masters title. At age 34 Andre Agassi won his final Masters, giving him the record, but yesterday, Nadal, just 23, tied the American's mark putting him at an unprecedented pace.

The title improves Rafa's clay-court record this year to 10-0, having won the title in Monte Carlo and Rome. “I didn’t play at the level I did in Monte Carlo, but I’m still winning and that’s the important thing,” said Nadal. “I’m probably more happy winning without playing (my) best. It was more of a mental thing.”

The world number three applied more pressure than usual, forcing Ferrer, who also had a great week, defeating Fernando Verdasco and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, into 5 double faults. In a week, both Nadal and Ferrer, along with most of the world's top 10, will travel to Madrid for the final tournament before Roland Garros.

Rome Results: Rafa and Ferrer to Fight for Title

David Ferrer pulled off yet another upset in Rome yesterday against his compatriot Fernando Verdasco. Ferrer, seeded 13th, won the semifinal in 2 tight sets, 7-5, 6-3, while Verdasco, coming off a huge win over Novak Djokovic, looked sluggish and unprepared. Verdasco jumped out to a 5-1 lead in the first set, only to lose 12 of the next 15 games and a chance at a 3rd final in as many weeks.

"These were the best three weeks of my life and my career,” said Verdasco. “I need to stay positive, recover for a few days and practice hard to be perfect for Madrid and Roland Garros."

Ernests Gulbis came oh-so-close to derailing Rafael Nadal on his favorite surface, but the Spaniard was able to keep his game from unraveling late in the match as nerves started to rattle Gulbis. Nadal wore Gulbis out in the first set in typical Rafa fashion, but an early break for the Latvian in the 2nd eventually tied the match at 1-set-a-piece. The two traded service holds in the deciding set until Gulbis served at 4-5, when Nadal broke to win the match.

Rome Results: Spaniards Dominate in Rome; Fill 3 of the 4 Semifinal Spots

Spain has continued it's clay court dominance from Monte Carlo and Barcelona this week in Rome, as 3 of the 4 semifinal spots, which were decided on Friday, are occupied by someone from the country. Of course, one of them is Rafael Nadal, who advanced to the final 4 with a 6-4, 6-1 win over Stanislas Wawrinka.

Rafa's semifinal opponent will be Ernests Gulbis, who's surprise run to the semis has consisted of the Latvian playing the best tennis of his career. In the quarters Gulbis, who beat Federer in the 2nd round, defeated Feliciano Lopez 7-6 (6), 6-1.

On the other half of the draw lies David Ferrer, an easy 6-4, 6-1 winner against Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, and Fernando Verdasco. The latter won his second consecutive match against Novak Djokovic in the quarters, outlasting the Serb in a thrilling 3-setter 7-6 94), 3-6, 6-4.

The semis will air on the Tennis Channel tomorrow morning for my fellow east-coasters.

Rome Results: Nadal Crusing; Verdasco and Djokovic to Clash in Quarters

Sorry about the lack of Rome results postings. Things have been hectic!

We all have probably heard that Roger somehow lost to Ernests Gulbis, marking the Swiss' 3rd consecutive loss before the third round in ATP-level tournaments.

Rafael Nadal, of course, has been rolling through the tournament, most recently taking out Victor Hanescu 6-3, 6-2 to clinch a berth in the quarterfinals. For a chance to reach the semis the Spaniard will take on Stanislas Wawrinka, who also won 3 and 2 over Robin Soderling. In the same section as Nadal and Wawrinka, Gulbis and Feliciano Lopez will square off in the final 8 after Lopez got a walkover against Ivan Ljubicic. Gulbis continued his unexpected run with a 7-6 in the third win over Fillipo Volandri.

In the bottom half of the draw, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga won easily over Santiago Giraldo. Tsonga's quarterfinal opponent will be David Ferrer, a 6-3, 6-4 upset winner against 4th seeded Andy Murray. Fernando Verdasco ousted countryman Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 6-4, 7-6 (2) and will face Novak Djokovic, whom he beat in Monte Carlo, in the quarters. Djokovic comfortably beat Tomaz Bellucci 6-4, 6-4.

Get ready for some exciting quarterfinal action. I'll be watching Real Housewives of New Jersey marathons while stuffing my face with cold-eezing pills, covered in dozens of tissues!