And So It Begins...

It's that time of year again -- the boys have officially made the shift to the clay season, and began their French Open warm-ups in earnest this week.

The Casablanca field was full of dirt specialists, with the top four seeds winning all of their titles on the surface. But that didn't mean the favorites all advanced without drama -- top seeded Florian Mayer lost his opener in a fairly one-sided straight setter to Jeremy Chardy while Alexandr Dolgopolov, playing well off the game that brought him to #13 in the world earlier this year, dropped just as quickly to Flavio Cipolla in his first match. In fact only two seeds made it to the quarterfinals -- defending champion Pablo Andujar and rising star Albert Ramos, who'd already beaten the likes of Fernando Verdasco, Richard Gasquet and Feliciano Lopez this year.

The two Spaniards eventually made their way to final on Sunday, though Ramos had a slightly easier trip -- though he lost serve a handful of times during the week, he never dropped a set. Andujar, on the other hand, was breadstick-ed in his middle quarterfinal set by qualifier Sergio Guttierrez-Ferrol before rebounding in the semis. But he took control early in his third career meeting with Ramos today, allowing his countryman just eight points on serve in the first set. The underdog raised his game in the second, though, but it was too late -- he managed to eke out one more point than Andujar, but eventually fell in the tiebreak, 7-5, and last year's champion kept his record against Ramos undefeated.

Things got a little more interesting in Houston where, even though most of the top seeds stayed deep into the draw, a couple big story-lines emerged. Thirty-three year old Michael Russell, ranked #136 in the world, dismissed top-seed Mardy Fish in the second round and kept his run going all the way to the semis. And fellow Americans Ryan Harrison, Sam Querrey and 2011 champ Ryan Sweeting, all put in some nice showings during the week, proving the country may not be quite as hard-up on the clay as so many think.

But in the end it was two of the players who've been on the hottest roll in recent month. John Isner, recent vanquisher of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, faced fifteen break points in his first three matches and never lost serve -- his win over Feliciano Lopez in the semis earned him the #1 ranking in the U.S. And Juan Monaco, who made a run to the Miami semis with wins over Gael Monfils, Andy Roddick and Fish, survived a test from Russell on Saturday, but came to his second final of the year the fresher man. Finally delivering the first break of serve to Isner in the opening set, he was the one to get the go-ahead in the third, winning the last three games of the two-and-a-half hour match and sealing the deal.

So with the first salvos of this year's clay court season now launched, it's now up to these guys to follow through. The winners, of course, have a bit of a leg up for now, but every player who showed he can put up a fight this week can turn himself into a force during the spring. And with the way things have shaken out so far this year, any one of them might make an even deeper impact than anyone expects.

Young -- and Not-So-Young -- Americans

It's been a frequent topic of discussion the last couple years, that the state of U.S. tennis has deteriorated -- or at least found itself among some much stronger competition. Other than the Williams sisters, only one still-active player has won a Grand Slam this decade. And as the triumvirate are getting up there in age -- tennis-wise, only, of course -- the questions arise as to who will take over the mantle.

But Wimbledon, for whatever reason, has always been a place where Americans thrive. As we've been frequently reminded this year, Serena and Venus have combined to win nine of the last eleven women's titles, and the nineties were all but ruled by Pete Sampras on the men's side. Go back a bit further and you get legendary champions like Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe, Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova -- admittedly a Czech by birth, but now quite American in practice. Something about the lawn sport certainly does seem to suit these players' game -- and the early matches this year at the All England Club have certainly proven that.

The veterans did their part to remind us of their prowess here. Venus made a successful return to the grass, winning her opener in just an hour, and though Serena was pushed a bit, she rolled through the third set to take out Aravane Rezai in an emotional victory Tuesday morning. Three-time finalist Andy Roddick, meanwhile, seemed to be back in form after an injury-laden spring, firing off thirty aces in his victory over world #156 Andreas Beck. Even Mardy Fish, who's only just come into his own this past year, pulled off a relatively easy win.

But the more impressive wins came from players still largely off the radar.

Houston champion Ryan Sweeting broke into the top hundred earlier this year, but since 2006 he's only won two matches at the Majors. After giving up a break lead in his first two sets against Spain's Pablo Andujar on Monday, it looked like he was in for another early exit. But he finally managed to hold onto a lead in the third and forced a decider by winning a fourth set tiebreak. After nearly four hours of play, the twenty-four year old walked away with the win. As a reward, he's earned a rematch against world #1 Rafael Nadal, who beat him handily in Melbourne. Still, pulling off the win bodes well for his future.

Similarly impressive in her Wimbledon debut was nineteen-year-old Christina McHale. Her name's been bandied about for several years as the next big thing in American women's tennis, but her coming out party was overshadowed by another U.S. upstart. But this year she's caused some trouble for her much-favored opponents -- the New Jersey native beat Daniela Hantuchova and Alisa Kleybanova in Charleston and stunned Svetlana Kuznetsova at Indian Wells. After losing her first set to rising star Ekaterina Makarova yesterday, she evened the score in just twenty-five minutes before grinding out a 8-6 win in the decider. She actually has a couple manageable rounds ahead of her, and if she stays tough McHale might be ready to breakthrough here -- albeit two years after we expected it from her.

Ryan Harrison was also making his Wimbledon debut, though he first started to get everyone's attention at last year's U.S. Open when he downed Ivan Ljubicic and came THISCLOSE to beating Sergiy Stakhovsky in the second round. He's been hanging out on the Challenger's Tour this year, but might be about to break into the big leagues. Against one of my sleeper favorites, Ivan Dodig, he held serve to a first-set tiebreak and steamrolled his opponent in the second. Nearing quitting time in London, the pair exchanged breaks in the third before Harrison consolidated his lead and took the match -- his first straight-set victory yet at a Slam. It gets harder from here, of course, with a second round date with David Ferrer -- but this nineteen-year-old is also playing with confidence that belies his age.

John Isner can't exactly claim to be a stranger to the spotlight -- his epic match last year against Nicolas Mahut set more records than I knew existed in tennis. But the three-day, eleven-hour slugfest seemed to wear him out for the rest of the year. He didn't seem to put up much of a fight in subsequent tournaments and, unable to defend points in the first half of this year, he dropped well out of seeding territory this year. When the draw revealed he was in for a rematch of last year's marathon, I worried nerves might get the best of him. But the big guy was calm and collected this year, relying on more than just his ability to ace to battle through. After just two hours -- less than twenty percent of his opener last year -- he came away an easy victor this time. There will of course be struggles ahead, but the maturity she showed today gives me hope he still has a shot at making my early prediction come true.

It's not all good news for the Americans, of course. Coco Vandeweghe, another lady carrying high hopes fell in straight sets to Eleni Daniilidou while Alison Riske wasn't able to convert after pushing last year's runner-up Vera Zvonareva to a third set. And my dear James Blake was able to come back from two sets down to Marcos Baghdatis, but surrendered a break lead in the fifth before succumbing.

Still the resilience of the Americans on foreign soil is certainly encouraging -- and as we look to the sport's future in this country, I'm finally excited to say it sure seems bright.

French Open: First Round Matches to Watch

Well it's that time of year again -- the main draws for the French Open are out and everyone -- except, they say, the players themselves -- are scouring the brackets to see what potential match-ups lie ahead.

As always, there will surely be a few early upsets and a couple Cinderella stories, and while the most exciting tales are those that are the least expected, I've chosen to point out a few that are particularly ripe for surprises. And, as always, I'll start with the men.

The Men First Quarter Second Quarter Third Quarter Fourth Quarter

The Women First Quarter Second Quarter Third Quarter Fourth Quarter

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The Men

First Quarter

If recent losses in Madrid and Rome didn't do it, a quick look at his quarter should prove the gods have finally turned against Rafael Nadal. Since 2003 his first round opponent at the Slams has, on average, ranked 116 in the world. But this year he'll face big-serving John Isner in his opener. It's not the worst fate -- the clay clearly neutralizes the American's biggest weapon and the defending champion has won both their previous meetings -- but the bigger threats come later in the uber-stacked section. Rafa's best bet might be hoping the other early match-ups tire out the rest of the contenders.

Fernando Verdasco faces Juan Monaco in his first match, but it might not be the seeded Spaniard that emerges victorious. Monaco pulled off a nice win over Mardy Fish in Dusseldorf, helping his Argentina make the finals. And Verdasco is back in a funk, winning just one match since handily losing in the Estoril final. And unfortunately, the pairing of Pablo Andujar and Santiago Giraldo, both of whom have been making strides this seashttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifon, can only result in one winner.

More interesting could be the match-up of Ivan Ljubicic and Somdev Devvarman, neither of whom are seeded in Paris. The Indian is at his highest career ranking and has notched defeats over Marcos Baghdatis, Milos Raonic and Guillermo Garcia-Lopez this year. Clay may not be his best surface, but so early in his career it can't hurt to make a statement now. And Daniel Gimeno-Traver, who beat both Richard Gasquet and Jurgen Melzer in Madrid, will meet Robin Haase to kick off his campaign -- that could be a fun fight between next-generation stars.

The late-round match-to-watch: If they live up to their seedings, Nadal could meet Robin Soderling for a third straight year in Paris for a spot in the semis. He more than avenged his heart-wrenching defeat from 2009, but this year things might be a bit more up in the air.

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Second Quarter

Novak Djokovic should have a much easier time in France as he looks to improve his already-impressive streak. In a quarter co-lead by Tomas Berdych, he doesn't have a lot of early threats, so look for a nice run from the Serb.

It won't be easy for everyone, though. Estoril champion Juan Martin Del Potro faces fellow big-man Ivo Karlovic in his first French Open match in two years. The Croat's actually won their only previous meeting, but that was several years ago, and DelPo has certainly adapted his service game to this surface. Still, I worry that if he's not completely recovered from that muscle tear in his leg, he may have a tough start to the tournament.

This section of the draw also boasts the return of two legends in the sport. Lleyton Hewitt, who we haven't seen since a first round loss in Indian Wells. Dealing with injuries for the better part of three years, he hasn't really been a consistent force in some time. He could have some trouble, then, against clay court specialist Albert Montanes in the first round -- though he leads the head-to-head, both meetings were a long time ago and on different surfaces. I'd expect Montanes to come out swinging.

Tommy Haas has been out of the game slightly longer -- after hip surgery last February, he's played a tiny bit of doubles this year, but has no singles wins since San Jose in 2010. The gorgeous German will meet a qualifier in his return to Grand Slam play, so hopefully that's a stage on which he can be eased back into competition. As the fortnight wears on, it's only going to get harder.

The late-round match-to-watch: Nole and DelPo are slated to meet in a far-too-early third round. It should be the first big test Djokovic faces this tournament, and if Del Po plays to his ability, it could be a good one.

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Third Quarter

Roger Federer hasn't been ranked this low at a Major since Wimbledon 2003 -- which he won, by the way. But he faces an early test from Feliciano Lopez, who took him to three tough tiebreak sets in Madrid a few weeks ago. That nearly three-hour match exposed some of Roger's shortcomings on clay and proved that the Spaniard is capable of hitting big. I'm hoping the rematch is just as exciting.

On the other side of the quarter, David Ferrer could get a struggle from veteran Jarkko Nieminen. They've met two times this year, splitting victories on hard courts, and the Finn is making his way back up the rankings, putting up a struggle in the third round of Rome. I give Ferrer this edge, based on his experience and strengths, but if the fever that took him out of Italy lingers at all, it could be a fight.

The late-round match-to-watch: Ivan Dodig, who got off to a strong start early in the year, also beat Robin Soderling in Barcelona and could face a second round test from Janko Tipsarevic, who served him a one-handed defeat in Delray. Look for the rising Croat to regain his footing on what should be a good surface for him.

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Fourth Quarter

The top seeds in the last section of the bracket, Andy Murray and Jurgen Melzer, both get qualifiers in the first round, and should have a fairly easy time advancing early. But like the top quarter, this section is pretty heavily stackehttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifd with veterans Nicolas Almagro and Viktor Troicki dappled among some rising stars like Milos Raonic and Alexandr Dolgopolov.

The latter, who ended a five-match losing streak with a semifinal appearance in Nice this past week, will meet Rainer Schuettler in just his second French Open appearance. This is far from his best surface, but if he wants to keep the momentum he gained in Australia, he's going to want to make a deep run here, and getting past the more experienced German would be a good start.

I'll also watch the match-up between Ryan Sweeting and Andreas Haider-Maurer. The champion in Houston followed up with a semifinal showing at a Sarasota Challenger, making him one of the most successful American clay-courters we've seen in quite a while. Haider-Maurer doesn't have a lot of experience on any surface, but he did take Robin Soderling to five sets in New York last year, so we know he can put up a fight. But a win for Sweeting could put him back on the radar as a future force in the country's arsenal.

The late-round match-to-watch: Both would have to cause an upset or two on the way, but Raonic could face Dolgo in the fourth round, and it would be great to see the Australian Open Cinderellas take it to each other.

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The Women

First Quarter

Caroline Wozniacki is the top seed for the third Slam in a row, and people continue to ask the question over when she'll win that maiden Major. She could be in for a challenge when she meets super-veteran Kimiko Date Krumm in her opener. The forty-year old Japanese has continued to pull off upsets during her second career, so Caro can't take her lightly, but she should be able to survive this test relatively unscathed.

More interesting in this section of the draw is the pairing of Aravane Rezai, out of seeding range this year, and Irina-Camilia Begu, the surprise finalist in Marbella last month. The young Romanian upset Klara Zakopalova and Svetlana Kuznetsova during that run, so you know she can hit. And against a struggling Rezai, she could very conceivably improve her year even more.

Then there's Tsvetana Pironkova, who hasn't passed a third round since http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifher miraculous semifinal run last year at Wimbledon. She's just barely holding onto a seedhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif in Paris, but she won't have that luxury much longer and needs a few wins, stat. The Bulgarian will face Casey Dellacqua, a woman who's been pretty active since returning from injury in Estoril, in the first round, and a win would give a big boost to her confidence.

The late-round match-to-watch: I know most people are hoping for a quarterfinal rematch between Wozniacki and Stuttgart champion Julia Goerges, but I'll be watching a round earlier when the seventeenth seed could meet last year's Roland Garros runner-up Sam Stosur. The Australian was a victim in Stuttgart too and is more than susceptible to another loss.

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Second Quarter

Kim Clijsters was given a bit of a pass in her first French Open since 2006 -- her first round date with Anastasiya Yakimova should present little trouble. And Maria Sharapova kicks off against Marjana Lucic, a Wimbledon semifinalist in 1999, trying to launch a comeback.

But keep an eye on Estoril finalist Kristina Barrois. Her game is particularly well-suited to clay, and she could be a spoiler. But opening opponent Sania Mirza has been winning again this year, and some improved doubles play could help her game here as well. And Andrea Petkovic finally started showing her stuff on clay in Strasbourg -- I want to see if she can keep it up against up-and-comer Bojana Jovanovski who started off the year so strong.

And in a sadly ironic pairing, newly-single Jarmila Gajdosova meets Virginie Razzano, who just suffered the heart-breaking loss of her fiancé. I can't root against either of these ladies, circumstances notwithstanding, but Jarmila has played solid ball since hitting the clay, and I don't expect her to stop now.

The late-round match-to-watch: If the seeds play out as expected, Clijsters should face Petko in the fourth round. She's beaten her they're only previous meeting, but that was well before the German became a real force, and something tells me this time things will be a lot more exciting.

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Third Quarter

Third-seeded Vera Zvonareva could face a tough test against Lourdes Dominguez Lino, the Spaniard who won a title in Bogota back in February. But the Russian seemed to regain form this week in Brussels -- she dropped just one point on serve against Alexandra Dulgheru in the quarterfinals. She is spotty on clay, though, and could be taken by surprise, but I expect her to be relentless from the get-go.

Last year's champion Francesca Schiavone may have a hard time defending her title, and that trouble could start early. First round opponent Melanie Oudin has had trouble recapturing the magic she possessed a few years ago in New York, but she did score an all-important victory over the Italian in last year's Fed Cup final. I don't know that she'll be able to repeat, but it sure would be fun to see her try.

The late-round match-to-watch: Young champions Alisa Kleybanova and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova are slated to meet in the third round. They've been trading wins over their history, and all of their matches have gone the distance, so you have to think this could be a good one.

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Fourth Quarter

Victoria Azarenka carries her best Slam seeding to Paris, thanks to a very successful spring. She's been told she's fit to play after an elbow injury forced her to retire in Rome, but watch her first round match with Andrea Hlavackova for any signs of stress. And Petra Kvitova, who skipped Rome last week in favor of an ITF event in Prague, returns to Tour with a match against blossoming thirty-two year old Greta Arn, a quarterfinalist in Italy.

But there are more intriguing pairings out there. One of two resurgent Italians, Alberta Brianti or Roberta Vinci, will have to step aside early -- unfortunate after the last few months they've had. And one-time Cinderella Sorana Cirstea could face a stumbling block as she runs into veteran Patty Schnyder in her first match. Meanwhile 2009 semifinalist Dominika Cibulkova, who beat Svetlana Kuznetsova and Maria Sharapova in Madrid, is on the verge of breaking into the elite -- I'd like to see her really show her stuff against doubles ace Vania King.

The late-round match-to-watch: 2008 champion Ana Ivanovic and barely unseeded Ekaterina Makarova could meet in the second round -- Ana soundly beat her in New York and the Russian returned the favor in Melbourne and rode the momentum to her best Major performance. It'll be interesting to see how these two fare on a different surface.

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I'm not sure if it's particularly bad luck for the favorites this year, or a field of underdogs who've shown their mettle all season, but it certainly seems like this year's draws have plenty of room for surprises. If Nadal does, in fact, get that Open-era record sixth title in Paris or if Wozniacki manages to silence her critics by finally claiming a Major crown, you know they'll have earned it.

And hopefully, there will be plenty of excitement in the meantime.

Be sure to check back tomorrow when I blogcast my full preview of the action at Roland Garros and highlight a few more things you'll want to watch at the year's second Grand Slam.

Adding to, or Starting, the Trophy Case

There are a select few players who really thrive on clay -- champions like Rafael Nadal and Justine Henin have the ability to intimidate their opponents on the surface, but when they're out of the picture anything really can happen. And as we kick off the 2011 clay court season it was both some relative veterans and a few brand new names that made the first statements.

As the youngest of this week's victors, it's a little strange to think of Caroline Wozniacki as the most accomplished of the four. But ranked #1 in the world and already owning fourteen career singles titles before arriving in Charleston, that's exactly what she is. The twenty-year-old Dane didn't play the best tennis during the week, but she'd done what she needed to make her fourth final of the year, surviving scares from Barbora Zahlavova Strycova and Yanina Wickmayer on the way. But she was able to raise her game on Sunday against Russian Elena Vesnina, firing off six aces and denying her opponent on all four break opportunities. After about ninety minutes, she was the one lifting the trophy, her third of the year.

On the European courts it was Caro's good friend Victoria Azarenka who prevailed. Fresh off her second title run in Miami, the top seed in Marbella began her clay court campaign in impressive style. She only dropped serve three times in her first four matches, reaching her first final on the surface since 2006. Against qualifier Irina-Camelia Begu in the championship match, she was able to take advantage of her challenger's inexperience. Though her service games were a little more spotty, Vika only allowed the Romanian -- who, over the week, had out-toughed players like Klara Zakopalova and '09 French Open champ Svetlana Kuznetsova -- to hold serve once during the match, and with the scoreline decisively in her favor, the Belarusian won her first ever title on the dirt.

While the ladies were adding to their trophy collections this weekend, the men were just out to capture that maiden title. The Casablanca final boasted two players who'd lost all four of the finals they'd played before -- Potito Starace, the fifth seed, took on world #69 Pablo Andujar, who'd beaten Jeremy Chardy and tournament favorite Albert Montanes on the way to the championship. The Italian had won both of the pair's two prior matches, most recently on the Santiago clay this year, and though Starace had pulled off a few comebacks this week, Andujar proved to be too much for him today. The twenty-five year old won more than eighty percent of his first serve points and stayed aggressive on return to get the win and put his clay court season on the right track.

And in another case of first-time victory, we saw American Ryan Sweeting make good on a wildcard entry in Houston to claim his premier Tour trophy. After taking out second seed, and last-year's runner up, Sam Querrey in the second round, he'd been impressive against a tough Teymuraz Gabashvili and outlasted big-serving Ivo Karlovic to make his first final. On the top half of the draw, a resurrected Kei Nishikori backed up a win over U.S. #1 Mardy Fish in the quarters by taking out clay-court specialist Pablo Cuevas in the semis. But Sweeting was solid on Sunday, holding strong after losing a break lead in the second set and ultimately earning the victory, 7-3 in the tiebreak. If nothing else, it's encouraging to see an American win on this surface again.

With just a few weeks left before the French Open, we've started setting the stage for what's to come. Of course we've come to know that almost nothing is certain on the red clay of Paris, but all four of this weekend's champions have certainly gotten off on the right foot. And whether their success came from experience or beginner's luck, if it continues we might have some new favorites to talk about at Roland Garros.

Southern Charm

It's an interesting cast of characters that made its way down to picturesque Delray Beach this year. Maybe it's the warm sun or the beautiful shores that attracted them -- or maybe it's the opportunity they saw to capture all our hearts.

After all, defending champion Ernest Gulbis elected to forego the tournament in favor of Dubai and top seeded Andy Roddick pulled out with the flu. Couple that with early exits by Sam Querrey adn John Isner, and you have the exact recipe for some unexpected players to make a statement in this Southern town.

Sure second seed and 2009 winner Mardy Fish is still looking strong while Ivan Dodig and Kevin Anderson, both of whom won their first career titles earlier this year, are still in the mix. But I've got my eyes on some nascent talent.

Young American Ryan Sweeting was the first hometown boy to make the quarterfinals when he defeated Querrey in straight sets. The twenty-three year old first got people talking in DC last year when he beat James Blake and Michael Llodra to make the third round. This year he fought through the qualifiers in Melbourne and put up a nice fight against Rafael Nadal in the Australian Open second round, but he seems to be gaining traction this week. Next up he'll face a resurgent Kei Nishikori, the champion here in 2008, so Sweeting will be in for a fight, but if he continues to serve well -- he hit an impressive seven aces against Sam -- I think he could break out here.

In the other half of the draw are two more guys primed for a break out. Teymuraz Gabashvili hasn't racked up the best record this year, but made the fourth round at Roland Garros in 2010 with a stunning, straight-set win over Andy Roddick. After withstanding twenty-one aces from John Isner in the first round, he outlasted the big man in Florida, winning the third set 15-13 in a tiebreak. He'll face another former big-server next in Juan Martin Del Potro, but the Argentine seems to have lost some of his weapons recently, so I wouldn't be surprised if we saw an upset.

Maybe most promising in the bunch is eighth seeded Adrian Mannarino, a twenty-two year old Frenchman I admittedly hadn't even heard of before this year. He made a huge jump into the low triple-digits when he put up a couple solid showings at Challenger events last summer, but a run to the quarters in Auckland, almost defeating Nicolas Almagro to make the semis, really put him on the radar. Since then, Mannarino made the semis in Johannesburg and took Lleyton Hewitt to three sets in Memphis before scoring the win over Leonardo Mayer in his Delray debut. With a second round date against Alejandro Falla later today, I'd expect him to make an even deeper run here.

The last couple years have really seen some underdogs prevail down south, so I see no reason that trend should end now. And with the way these guys do -- and have been known to -- play, they could become major staples on Tour this year. So get ready for them to continue charming your socks off -- at the very least for the rest of this week.

Winds of Change

SpringSummer is in the air in New York as temperatures went from the mid-fifties to nearly ninety in the blink of an eye. There's been a similarly abrupt shift on the tennis courts as the world's top players moved from hard courts to the (sometimes) elusive clay in a matter of days -- and a couple will face their first big tests on the surface ahead of the year's next Grand Slam.

I admit that I was a little terrified when I first played on a clay court. If Pete Sampras, the greatest player of all-time, in my opinion, couldn't win on the surface, how could I? And in fact, most American men struggle on the red dust. Andre Agassi and Jim Courier were able to take a couple of French Open titles between them, but before that you have to go all the way back to 1955 and Tony Trabert to find the last U.S. champion at Roland Garros. Even Andy Roddick, who's been a staple in the top-ten for almost a decade, has only made it as far as the fourth round -- once.



This week the next generation of American men are in action in Houston, seeking to prove that they might be able to succeed on the surface. So far they haven't had the best luck. Jesse Levine and Donald Young both lost their first round matches while Taylor Dent and Rajeev Ram each retired from their openers.

It's not all bad news, though -- twenty-two year old Ryan Sweeting made it through qualifying rounds and defeated fifth seed Evgeny Korolev before falling in a three-and-a-half hour battle to Nicolas Massu in his second main draw match. And two Americans hold big seeds -- John Isner and Sam Querrey, likely the best hopes our country has to bring home a few Major titles this decade.

Querrey, the #3 seed in Houston, will be tested first as he faces Blaz Kavcic, a man who just misses having a double-digit ranking. Sam was able to pull off a nice win over Viktor Troicki in the first round of Davis Cup -- his only win on clay this year. Overall, he has a lackluster 7-17 record on the surface. He shouldn't have a hard time making the quarters, but when he meets Massu there, well, that could be a different story.

Americans' best chance is probably with second seeded Isner, who'll open tomorrow against Xavier Malisse -- but that's also far from a sure thing. The #2 U.S. player has even less experience on clay, a 3-7 career history, and his biggest weapon -- a rocket-fast serve -- is largely neutralized on the slower surface. The Belgian is certainly more experienced, having been on the pro Tour for twelve years or so, but he is having trouble putting together big wins of late. A win for Isner would give him an easier road to the semis and could put the U.S. at large on the map during the clay court season.

We're a long way from being a real threat in Paris, but we're certainly making our way there. If either of these guys can pull off a few wins or -- dare I say it? -- a title in Houston, it could be the start of a new era in American men's tennis.

After all, if I can learn to play on clay, anyone can.