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[janscribe]

Nalbandian in 3 is also my prediction. It sounds disloyal but unless the real Andy comes to play I don't see how a player of Nalbandian's calibre can lose after yesterday's fiasco. I hate it when he wins the first set easily these days - seems to always mean trouble. Thanks for an excellent report Phil on a match which was utterly peculiar. I think an easy first set does something to Andy mentally - can't decide what - but the sooner he discovers the answer the better. Hope I am very wrong but I think Andy will be No 5 next week.

[Grabcopy]

Just love Nalbandian's game. If he didn't treat tennis like a Buenos Aires call girl, he'd have six slams by now. 6-3 6-1 to the Bull.

[Ruthie]

Very good and fair match report I thought.  I still think 'disgusting' is too harsh Clydey.  But yes utterly, utterly frustrating when 'good Andy' shows us in the first set how well he can play and then 'bad Andy' takes over in the 2nd set.
Re today: my head says Nalby  I'm afraid but my heart says  Andy in 3.  So I'll go with my heart - in the hope that Nalby is finally tired and that Andy has learned a good lesson from yesterday.  Interesting that Mark Petchy said Andy really likes Nalby's game (to watch that is!)

[Ruthie]

Incidentally, sorry to regurgitate the Kim Sears saga, but she was not  in the audience as far I could see. Any problems?

Remember she's an independent woman with a life to lead!  I'm sure she'll be there for the more important USO if she can be.

[BigV]

I was a few feet away from Andy yesterday, and the way he controlled the pace of the ball and the points was brilliant. (apart from the 2nd set slump). I was really impressed! I also saw a very average Federer and Nalbandian who was good. Should be a good match today, and Andy will win. I doubt we will see another slump. He started too fast yesterday - the momentum had to change. But what a wonderful cat and mouse game with Andy slowing the pace and then pouncing for the kill!!

[KitKat]

Hmm so not really impressed. I know he won, I know he normally manages to hang in there...but in terms of quality of the game, Andy's doing little to improve it at the moment.
Much as I don't want to see him slip in the rankings he doesn't deserve to win here considering the way he's been playing, other players have had a much better performance.

Don't agree with you Hazel, Andy won the match not Monfils so Andy deserves to go forward, the only time Andy won't deserve to go forward in the competition is if he loses the match not because, in your opinion, other players are playing better.

[Ruthie]

I was a few feet away from Andy yesterday, and the way he controlled the pace of the ball and the points was brilliant. (apart from the 2nd set slump). I was really impressed! I also saw a very average Federer and Nalbandian who was good. Should be a good match today, and Andy will win. I doubt we will see another slump. He started too fast yesterday - the momentum had to change. But what a wonderful cat and mouse game with Andy slowing the pace and then pouncing for the kill!!

Nice to get a positive report from someone who was actually there -lucky you (though it must have been murder during the 2nd set.  I was screaming at my tv set!). 
Re Andy's ranking my understanding is that he has to get to finals here to retain his ranking.  I guess what happens at Cinci will depend on how both he and Soderling do, though Andy has fewer points to defend than here - not sure how many exactly. All in all, I think the general view is that he's likely to slip to 5 before USO but fingers crossed he does make it to the final here and indeed defends his title.