He will probably play his first match at the Sarasota Challenger tomorrow.

Congrats to Kei and good luck this week!

Elena Dementieva (RUS) vs. Anabel Media Garrigues (ESP)

Dementieva made quick work of Petra Martic in the opening round, taking the Croat down 6-1, 6-1. I am sure Dementieva is feeling good because she doesn’t have to play Justine Henin in the second round! She had to play her at the Australian Open and the Sony Ericsson Open in the second round and lost both of those matches. She was a finalist here back in 2004 but hasn’t been past the quarterfinals since.

Media Garrigues took out young American Melanie Oudin 7-5, 6-2 in the first round and is a good clay court player. She reached the semis at Strasbourg last week (before falling to Sharapova) and advanced to the fourth round at the French back in 2007. She’s currently ranked #43 in the world but was as high as #16 last May.

Match-Up:

Dementieva is 3-1 against Medina Garrigues and beat her last year on the hard courts of Dubai. Medina Garrigues grew up playing on clay all the time and she is very comfortable on the surface. Her best Grand Slam results have been at the French Open and she is not an easy out. I don’t think Dementieva’ serve is going to hurt her in this match. Her groundstrokes are some of the best on tour and everyone knows how well she moves. If Medina Garrigues is able to keep her off-balance then she could be in trouble, but I believe that Dementieva has too many weapons.

Nick’s Pick – Dementieva in 2 sets

Nadia Petrova (RUS) vs. Agnes Szavay (HUN)

Petrova dispensed of Shuai Peng 6-0, 6-3 in the first round and is a two-time semifinalist at the French. She’s currently ranked #20 in the world and has been to the quarterfinals of the last three clay court tournaments she played in this year (Charleston, Rome and Madrid).

Szavay beat Stephanie Foretz 6-2, 6-2 in the first round and is trying to get back to the fourth round for the second straight year. She comes into the tournament ranked #47 in the world, but was as high as #13 back in April of 2008.

Match-Up:

Szavay is 1-0 against Petrova with that win coming back in 2007 at the US Open. Petrova is a big girl but she moves well and knows how to win on clay. She spent some time at the Academy in the past and I’ve enjoyed working with her. Petrova will play an aggressive game and will not back down from anyone. At the same time, Szavay is a tough competitor who has the tools to win, but she hasn’t been able to put it together on the big stage. I look for Petrova to win in two close sets.

Nick’s Pick – Petrova in 2 sets

Alisa Kleybanova (RUS) vs. Ana Ivanovic (SRB)

Kleybanova comes into the French ranked #28 in the world and had an easy win over Mariya Koryttseva in the first round. This is her third appearance at the French Open and the second time she has been past the first round.

Since winning the French Open back in 2008, Ivanovic hasn’t been past the fourth round of any Grand Slam tournament. Her ranking has fallen to #42 in the world and she has changed coaches a couple of times. She is definitely going through a rough patch, but we all know what she is capable of producing. It will be interesting to see over the next six months to see how she plays.

Match-Up:

Kleybanova is 2-1 against Ivanovic and beat her earlier this year in the Fed Cup. The game of tennis needs Ana Ivanovic to play well, but she hasn’t been able to get back to the same place she was in June of 2008. I enjoy watching her play and still think she has what it takes to compete at the Grand Slam level. Kleybanova is built like a tank, but for her size she covers the court well and she has great power. This match could really go either way, but I have to give a slight edge to Kleybanova because of how they have played in 2010, but it’s going to be close.

Taylor Dent (USA) vs. Robin Soderling (SWE)

Dent picked up a nice straight-set win over Nicolas Lapentti in the opening round, which breaks a five-match losing streak dating back to the Sony Ericsson Open. Surprisingly, this is the first time Dent has won a match at the French Open losing to James Blake in 2003 and Jonas Bjorkman in 2004.

Soderling, last year’s surprise finalist, won easily in the first round against French wild card Laurent Recouderc. Soderling comes into the tournament ranked #7 in the world and he is sporting a nice 21-9 record on the year. If he wants to duplicate his success from last year he may have to get by Federer in the quarterfinals.

Match-Up:

Soderling and Dent are 1-1 against each other but they haven’t played since 2004 so those results are not that indicative of how they are both playing now. Dent has been training at the IMG Bollettieri Tennis Academy for a couple of years now and you will not meet a guy who works harder than Taylor. He will not sit on the baseline and try and outhit Soderling in long rallies. He is going to come to the net, serve and volley and use his excellent slice to keep the big Swede off-balance. The slice has become a huge part of Dent’s came now, and it’s a great weapon. Soderling will use his big forehand, excellent movement and powerful serve to try and push Dent back off the court. You have to give the edge to Soderling because of his history here, but don’t be surprised to see Dent push him extremely hard.

Nick’s Pick – Soderling in 4 tough sets

Fernando Verdasco (ESP) vs. Florent Serra (FRA)

Verdasco is one of my favorites to watch because he is a lefty, hits the sonic serve and really attacks his opponents. He’s been working hard with Gil Reyes to improve his physical fitness and with a tidy 30-9 record in 2010 he is definitely playing well. He’s been to the fourth round at the French Open the last three years but has never been father.

Serra is a 29-year old Frenchman who comes into the tournament ranked #67 in the world. He was as high as #36 back in 2006, but never has been able to crack the top 30. He advanced to the third round of the French Open back in 2008 but coincidentally he lost to Verdasco in straight sets here in the first round last year.

Match-Up:

Verdasco is 4-1 against Serra and just beat him on clay at Nice in straight sets 6-2, 6-2. Simply put, Serra doesn’t have the firepower to play with Verdasco on this stage. Verdasco lefty forehand is one of the biggest on the tour, his movement is superb and his serve is outstanding. He is playing great tennis thus far in 2010, and I don’t see him struggling in this match.

Nick’s Pick – Verdasco in 3 sets

Kei Nishikori (JPN) vs. Novak Djokovic (SRB)

Nishikori outlasted Colombian Santiago Giraldo in five sets in the opening round to reach the second round of the French Open for first time in his career. He has been on a roll as of late and now that he is over the injury that kept him out of play for the majority of 2009, it’s just a matter of time before he is ranked inside the top 50 again.

Djokovic needed four sets to beat Evgeny Korolev in the opening round and is looking to get back to the semifinals of the French Open for the third time in his career. Last year he was knocked out in the third round by Philipp Kohlschreiber, and I am sure he is looking to bounce back from that performance.

Match-Up:

This is the first career match between Nishikori and Djokovic and it should be a good one. I am particularly interested because Nishikori trains here at the Academy and I just spent some time with Djokovic and his family in Serbia. Djokovic has been struggling as of late with a bad asthma problem and that has really affected his play. He had to retire at his own tournament in Belgrade a couple of weeks ago and if that surfaces again it could be an issue for him. Despite the difference in rankings, this will not be an easy match for Djokovic. Nishikori covers the court about as well as humanly possible, he has fantastic groundstrokes and can turn defense into offense quickly. The longer this match goes, the more it favors Djokovic. If he has any health problems than Nishikori could advance. I have to give the edge to Djokovic because of his experience, but don’t be surprised to see Nishikori pull off an upset.

Roger Federer (SUI) vs. Stanislas Wawrinka (SUI)

Federer has gone about his business relatively quietly in the first three rounds, but none of his opponents have been ranked inside the top 70 yet. This will be the first real test for Federer and it will be interesting to see how he responds.

Wawrinka comes into the tournament with a 21-8 record and having won the title on clay at Casablanca in April. He was a quarterfinalist in Rome and knocked off both Berdych and Soderling, so those are two excellent clay-court wins. This is the first time he has been past the third round at Roland Garros.

Match-Up:

Federer is 4-1 against Wawrinka and just beat him in Madrid on clay in straight sets. Wawrinka is one of those guys who can get hot and start making shots from all over the court. When that happens there is no answer, you just have to ride it out. These guys know each other well so there will be no surprises from either side. One place where Wawrinka can struggle is the mental game and if that pops up, Federer will jump all over him. Federer is playing with tons of confidence and despite this test he should prevail.

Nick’s Pick – Federer in 4 sets

There hasn’t been a whole lot of talk about the third-seeded Wozniacki, but make no mistakes she is here to win. She reached the semis in Charleston and won the title on clay at Ponte Vedra Beach. She has never been past the third round of the French Open so this is already her best showing here.

Pennetta comes in as the #15 ranked player in the world and has had mixed results at the French. She’s been to the third round three times, the fourth round once, but she has also lost in the opening round three times. She won the title at Marbella in April on clay so that should give her some confidence here.

Match-Up:

Wozniacki is 2-0 against Pennetta and did beat her on clay at Bastad last year. Pennetta is a real fighter with excellent footwork, superb movement and she’s very determined. She knows how to win on clay and is also talented enough to compete with the best. The issue here, is that Wozniacki can do all of those things plus she has a little more power than the Italian. Wozniacki is great for the sport because she has a fantastic personality on and off the court and the fans love her. I look for her to advance, but this could go three sets.

Nick’s Pick – Wozniacki in 3 sets