AN ATP MASTERS SERIES EVENT
11th - 19th OCTOBER
MMMM 2008 : 2008
LET THE BATTLES BEGIN
Last year’s Nalbandian-Federer semi-final might “repeat” itself again but this time in the quarter-final.
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Madrid, 11th October. This year’s Mutua Madrileña Masters Madrid has just laid its cards on the table: it has made public the confrontations featured in the main draw. Nadal and Federer already know the obstacles that lay in their path to the final this year, which is scheduled for 19th October in the Casa de Campo Trade Fair Park. The Majorcan and the Swiss are exempt from the first round, as are the rest of seeds, but that does not mean they are going to have it easy. Thus, Nadal, who starts as the main favourite, will have his first match against the winner of the match between Ernest Lubis and Nicolás Kiefer, two opponents he has already defeated this season. The matches will become increasingly difficult as the tournament progresses. In the quarter-final, he might have a match against his compatriot David Ferrer, while in semi-final Novak Djokovic, who already played it last year, will be awaiting him. Federer does not have it easy either. For his part, he will have to play against some of the most prominent players of this season, like the Australian Open runner-up, Tsonga, with whom he might play in the third round. David Nalbandian’s figure is also visible on the horizon. The possible encounter in quarter-final between the Argentinean and the Swiss would be like a repetition of last year’s final in the main draw. Another menace for the no.2 in the world is Andy Murray, especially after the final they both starred in in the US Open. The Mutua Madrileña Masters Madrid, starting tomorrow, has already very attractive encounters in the first round like the Spanish duel between Feliciano López, who always surpasses himself in this fixture, and Albert Montañés, this season’s champion in Amersfoot. The encounter that stands out is the one between Moya, quarter-finalist in Vienna, and the German Kohlschreiber, with another title in his trophy cabinet this year, as well as the Robredo-Robi or Kiefer-Gulbis matches, from which Nadal’s first rival will come. |