Let\u2019s finish up this week\u2019s picks and previews for Acapulco and hopefully I\u2019ll get to Maria Sharapova on Wednesday.<\/b><\/p>\n
I did pick one finalist and one semifinalist in Buenos Aires last week, otherwise everything is a total bloody mess and the week has barely started. Aj, would you please write the picks next week, you seem to know what\u2019s going on. As you correctly predicted, Michael Llodra has withdrawn from Zagreb.<\/p>\n
Not only that, but Fabrice Santoro retired against Olivier Rochus in Zagreb with an elbow problem and in Memphis, John Isner has already lost and James Blake pulled out with a knee injury of some sort. That\u2019s three of my picks down and it\u2019s only Monday. Oh, and Tommy Haas looks like his shoulder is o.k. and he eats Memphis up when he\u2019s healthy.<\/p>\n
Acapulco<\/b> (clay)<\/p>\n
It looks like they packed up last week\u2019s tournament in Buenos Aires and shipped it here. David Nalbandianand Potito Starace sit in the first quarter along with two other players who were also in the top quarter at Buenos Aires. Unless Nalbandian is tired from taking the title at Buenos Aires, he should meet Starace in the quarterfinals again.<\/p>\n
Unlike last week, I think Starace wins this because the match was close and Nalbandian struggled a few times in Buenos Aires.<\/p>\n
Carlos Moya jumped over Juan Monaco in the rankings so Monaco is anchoring the second quarter with Juan Ignacio Chela. Chela won this tournament last year and got to the finals the year before. Agustin Calleri should be his second round opponent and Chela beat him here last year so Chela should get to the quarterfinals.<\/p>\n
I’m picking Chela over Monaco because Monaco has a 1-3 record at this tournament and Chela has beaten him the last two times they\u2019ve met.<\/p>\n
Igor Andreev lost his first round match to Alberto Montanes. Montanes had a pretty good year on clay last year but he\u2019s 0-4 against Jose Acasuso who\u2019s in his quarter. If Acasuso can\u2019t take out Guillermo Canas, Montanes is 0-2 against Canas.<\/p>\n
Canas hasn\u2019t played on clay this year and Acasuso got to the final last week so I\u2019m putting Acasuso in the semifinals.<\/p>\n
The bottom quarter is pretty strong. Nicolas Almagro, Filippo Volandri, and Moya are here. Almagro has a slightly better record than Volandri here and he\u2019s beaten Moya in their last two matches so he\u2019s the final semifinalist.<\/p>\n