So Far, So Good

The first four days of The Championships featured little in the way of surprises, and that's just the way I like it. Some people have been complaining about the lack of upsets and compelling first round matchups, but who wants the appetizer to be the best part of the meal? With the first weekend coming to a close, we're just now getting to the juicy steak of the competition. It has shaped up to be an exciting third round. Let's look at what we have.
Firstly, I'm getting what I wanted when the draw came out last week: The Feder-Bear versus the mercurial Marat in the third round. Safin has not looked overly impressive in his first two matches, even though they were both straight set affairs. Federer, meanwhile, really looked locked in against Del Potro, who I thought could give the #1 seed problems. And he really looks spiffy in that white and gold shirt Nike is outfitting him in.

These observations notwithstanding, I still think Safin can give Federer a run for his money tomorrow on the roofless Centre Court. At this point, Marat is the kind of guy that needs external motivation; he can't get himself up for matches. Roger in the tennis cathedral is going to get him going. He plays Federer very tough, and even Roger acknowledged that he has the ability to hit the Swiss off the court. Needless to say, I'm excited. I don't expect Marat to win- he hates grass enough it provides a convenient excuse for a loss- but it wouldn't surprise me.

James Blake is on track to get waxed by Federer in the quarters; he's looked solid thus far and shouldn't have too much problem with Ferrero. Provided he doesn't, he'll face the winner of Tipsarevic and Gonzalez. I originally thought Gonzalez would take care of Janko easily, but I've since changed my mind. It is, after all, the year of the Serb, and Gonzalez is as unpredictable as anyone. I still think Gonzo will win, but it could be a tight affair.

Andy Roddick has a pretty tough pairing with the lefty Verdasco. This has five sets written all over it. And there could be 100 or more combined aces. Fernando will be a good early test for Andy, but the winner of Mathieu-Ljubicic won't be (I like the Frenchman in that one).

There's a lot of French guys in the remaining 32 in the men's draw. Has anyone noticed this? We can't be OK with this. Two of them, Richard Gasquet and Edouard Roger-vasselin, square off on Court 3. First of all, Edouard has one of the weirdest names I've ever seen. Seriously, his parents should be fined. That's terrible. But hey, maybe Gasquet is finally going to make a major move like everyone has been waiting for. He is 21 now; it's time for him to step up if he's going to. He should be able to get past Edouard.

Finally, the bane of the United Kingdom, Feliciano Lopez, takes on yet another Frenchman, Jo-Wilifred Tsonga (what is with the French names?). I gotta take Lopez in that one, and I'm officially giving him "darkhorse" status. He's one to watch.

Saturday's matches look even more enticing, but this ain't a bad first Friday at all. The expanded seeding has done just what it is supposed to, protecting the better players longer in the tournaments. We all benefit from this in the long run. Of the final 32 players, 22 are seeded. The cream is rising to the top.