The tour’s most unpredictable talent, Scotsman Andy Murray, has earned a quarterfinal berth opposite Juan Ignacio Chela after an inspired burst against Viktor Troicki.  The match was suspended Monday night due to darkness with the score at two sets a piec0e.

There was no time for a slow start.  Out of the gate, Troicki sprinted to a commanding 5-2 lead in the deciding fifth set.  Murray seemed nervous and out of form.  Murray held but Troicki had the match on his racquet at 5-3, 30-0.  The crowd was often at a feverish pitch.

Andy Murray, who lost the first two sets before sweeping the 3^rd and 4^th sets, rallied again.  When his back was against the wall, Murray showed the ability to get to balls and turn defensive shots into offensive winners.  His power forehand carried him last night and was on display again today.

When Troicki did not win the pivotal ninth game, Murray took charge.  When the dust settled, the fleet Scot had won five crucial games in succession to take the match 4-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 7-5.  Still, this match was up for grabs after Murray failed to win the match at 6-5, 40-0.  Troicki played three daring points that brought them to deuce.  But. Murray then served out and Troicki was left with a crushing defeat.

Federer Finishes Monfils

On a blustery day with the dust from the courts causing vision problems, third seeded Roger Federer continued his run at the title.  The 16-time Grand Slam Champion will now face the tour’s hottest player, second seeded Novak Djokovic.

In the Tuesday windstorm, Federer disappointed the home crowd by downing hometown favorite Gael Monfils.  Federer used all his experience to stay focused on the match while Monfils was out of character and agitated by the conditions.

The 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (3) win pushed Federer into the semifinals without losing a set at Roland Garros.  While all the focus is on the possibility of a Djokovic – Nadal finals, there is still some work to do.  Djokovic advanced to the semis in a walkover when Fabio Fognini was unable to play due to injuries.

Federer is winning by keeping his unforced errors in line with his outright winners.  He had 42 errors and 41 winners.  Monfils had 53 unforced errors and just 24 winners.

Tomorrow’s quarterfinals will pit Rafa Nadal against Robin Soderling who has also looked very solid.  Soderling is heavy footed and tends to look slow against Nadal, who neutralizes the Soderling forehand.

Murray will face the veteran Juan Ignacio Chela in the quarters.  Chela is the Cinderella story of the tournament.  The Chela quarter was the weakest in the tourney and looked even weaker after Jurgen Melzer, the 8 seed, lost.

The stage is set for a finishing drive to the Championship.  Djokovic now gets credit for his 42^nd straight win to start a season, but The Swiss is a formidable opponent.  Nadal coming from the toughest bracket in the draw will have to knock off Soderling and most likely Murray to reach the finals.  That can hardly be described as a shoe-in.

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