The biggest news from the draw? Elf and A-Rod aren't in the same quarter. So that must be nice for Andy. That said, he is in Fed's quarter. There's been a lot of talk lately as to how much of a psychological impact that Wimbly final had on Andy. Did it inspire him and show him his hard work was paying off? Or did it completely demoralize him and send him into Loveable Loserville? It's a tough call but if I'm Andy, I'm chomping at the bit to get another shot at Fed. Here's hoping they meed in the quarters and Andy gets his revenge. That would be quite the statement going into the USO.
As for Muzz, if he can get some easy early round wins, I give him a good shot here. He'll probably have to go through either Elf or Fernando (my bet is on Fer given Elf's empty tank), either of which would be fun matches. Then he would meet either (probably) Fed or A-Rod.
On the other side of the draw we have Rafa, Nole, Jo, and Kolya. All eyes are on Rafa, of course, who was pretty jolly after his quarterfinal loss to Elf. The knees seem fine and the kid can still compete. He's just gotta hit the rust out. Unfortunately he's got a tricky draw, where he could face Ivo or Gael, and then a big hitter like Gonzo or Jo. Not players you can get into a rhythm with. But at this point I'm pretty sure Rafa doesn't care. He just wants to get on court.
In the last quarter we have the invisibles, with Nole, Kolya, Gilly, and Haasi. Nole should come through to the semis, but really, is anyone comfortable counting on him these days?
