Taking it easy

Sergey Stakhovsky – Julien Benneteau 1
Benneteau has come all the way through the qualies to get here, but he had to fight Andreev hard yesterday and I think he’s at the end of his ropes. Stakhovsky wasted no time in disposing Davydenko yesterday, and has a solid 2-0 record against the Frenchman. Both wins came without dropping a set.

Petra Cetkovska – Marion Bartoli 1
Marion Bartoli is a very fine hard court-player but like any top class players she also knows when to quit in a tournament leading up to a Grand Slam, like this one in New Haven does with the US Open starting on Monday.
Bartoli has used this tournament as warm up 7 times before. She has reached the quarterfinals no less than 4 times but never been passed it. And now she’s in the quarterfinals…
Oh, did I mention who won their only previous meeting on grass, Bartoli’s favourite surface? Cetkovska.

Francesca Schiavone – Anabel Medina-Garrigues 2
Just like Bartoli, Schiavone has also been here at New Haven before. 5 times to be exact and she to has never ever passed the quarterfinals. Add that to the fact that she has played Garrigues 4 times before and lost them all. On grass, indoors and clay. Simply too good an odds to turn down.