MY 2011 ROLAND GARROS BETS - MEN

Carefully looking into the draw and their respective brackets, I have made my choices for the 4 players most likely to be in the semifinals in the 2011 French Open

First Quarter: Rafael Nadal

Defending champion Nadal is aiming for his 6th FO title and 10th Grand Slam overall. Coming off 2 clay titles in 4 finals (the two being defeats to Novak Djokovic), he still has the imposing game to actually have him take the crown once more. Despite the two losses to Djokovic, I still favor his chances as this time around the games are best of 5, not best of 3. Posing possible hurdles to Nadal would be Fernando Verdasco who he might face in the round of 16 and Robin Soderling, the only person ever to defeat Nadal in French Open in the quarters.

Second Quarter: Nicolas Almagro

I'm going wild on my prediction for the second quarter. Spaniard Almagro is one of the players that could do well in the claycourts of Paris when he is at 100%. His recent form maybe in question but this bracket is a loosely contested one. The only problems I see for Almagro is a possible 4th round with Jurgen Melzer and a quarterfinals bout with Andy Murray provided the Scot hurdles some of the names in his bracket like Clement, Troicki or Dolgopolov.

Third Quarter: David Ferrer

Though I like Roger Federer's chances in this bracket, I can't help but go to the enigmatic Spaniard David Ferrer. Currently ranked 7th in the world and is on 12-4 record on clay, his two notable loses were from King Rafa himself. But if Federer can master his way out of the first round hurdle that is Feliciano Lopez, expect the two to slug it in the quarters.

Fourth Quarter: Novak Djokovic

The hottest man on tour is in the fourth quarter and definitely I would root for him to advance to the semifinals. Having won 7 titles already for 2011, Nole is on a high with his 37-0 win streak coming into the FO. I'm not seeing much that coudl derail his campaign except for the possible blockbuster 3rd round with Juan Martin Del Potro. Whoever wins that might take the crown and my bet's on Nole.