Cincy Update: Big 4 Into The Semis

What a week it's been in men's tennis! Murray is the new No. 2, beating Tsonga and Del Potro en route to the Montreal title. In Cincinnati, the "Big 4" are through to the semis, with Federer-Murray facing off in one semi and Nadal-Djokovic in the other. The last time these guys all made it to the semis was at last year's US Open, when Murray was still ranked No. 6.

Nadal can reclaim the No. 2 ranking if he wins the Cincy shield, but only if Murray loses to Federer in the semis. A No. 2 ranking will guarantee a No. 2 seed in this year's US Open, which means not having to face five-time defending champion and top-seed Federer until the finals.

Now, if Murray ends up winning Cincy, he only needs to win the US Open to dethrone Federer from No. 1. It's a tough proposition, but the way things are going, this could be Murray's year.

Murray One Win Away From No. 2

With Rafa Nadal's quarterfinal defeat in Roger's Cup, Andy Murray is one win away from reaching a career-high No. 2 ranking. Standing in the way is Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who upset top-ranked Roger Federer. Murray is the only member of the "Big 4" who made it through to the semis, one day after all top eight seeds won their round-of-16 matches.

The other semifinal match features a rematch between Juan Martin Del Potro and Andy Roddick. Del Potro edged Roddick in the final of last week's Legg Mason Classic in Washington, DC.

Montreal Update: Top 8 Seeds Advance To Quarters

The top 8 seeds at the Rogers Cup are through to the quarterfinal round!
It could be a first on the men's tour, where upsets almost always happen.

Here are the match-ups:

Top half:
[1] R Federer (SUI) vs [7] J Tsonga (FRA)
[3] A Murray (GBR) vs [8] N Davydenko (RUS)

Bottom half:
[2] R Nadal (ESP) vs J [6] Del Potro (ARG)
[4] N Djokovic (SRB) vs [5] A Roddick (USA)

In contrast, only four out of the top eight women's seeds advanced to the quarterfinal round in Cincinnati (WTA).

Murray Will Be No. 2 With Montreal Title

World No. 3 Andy Murray is four consecutive wins away from reaching a career-high No. 2 ranking. A title in Montreal guarantees that the Scot will finally break the Federer-Nadal four-year stranglehold on the Top 2 in Men's tennis.

No. 1 Federer and No. 4 Djokovic are staying put regardless of the tournament's outcome.

Here are the "Big 4" ranking projections for Montreal:
http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=tswsboKuAjeMrQLksaMHS7Q&output=html

Here is the detailed breakdown of ranking points as of 8/10/2009:
http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=t8WWP3rEJTVB4tuVM7AhzlA&output=html

Rogers Cup Draw Is Out

The draw has been set for the Rogers Cup in Montreal. The "Big 4" will be in action for the first time this hard court season. Here are the potential quarterfinal pairings:
[1]Federer vs. [7]Tsonga
[2]Nadal vs. [6]Del Potro
[3]Murray vs. [8]Davydenko
[4]Djokovic vs. [5]Roddick