There were few surprises in the first two Masters Series tournaments at Indian Wells and Miami, save perhaps the fact that Roger Federer failed miserably to make an impression. I have already handed out 'A' grades to several players -- Novak Djokovic, Guillermo Canas, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray among them, but what about the players on the fringe?

This is my idea of those who achieved a 'B' grade in California and Florida. But of course, there is always room for improvement, and the next phase will be on European clay courts where Nadal will certainly come into his own and perhaps a few select individuals from my B+ group. Here is my run-down:

Good Work
Juan Ignacio Chela (B+): It’s tough not to give the hard-hitting Argentinian an 'A' for his efforts, but he certainly did the best of this next bunch of players. Chela has been on an incredible roll so far in 2007, and reaching the quarter-finals in both IW and Miami only adds to his resume, which includes a win in Acapulco, and a semi-final in Costa do Sauipe. Short of a final in Kitzbuhel and a quarter-final in a few other minor events (Sopot and New Haven), Chela has very few ranking points to defend, so what he does for the remainder of the year could be gravy. As always, the consistency is the question, but if he keeps up this pace, Chela could be in the top 15 by the end of the year.

Amer Delic (B+): I give the nod to Delic because he qualified to reach the main draw. American tennis fans have probably heard of Delic’s name in the past, but they likely didn’t think he had the ability to oust ATP regulars like Julien Benneteau, Jose Acasuso, and Nikolay Davydenko at a Masters Series event. Delic accomplished all this in Miami, which is a tournament he won’t soon forget. His accolades also made him the focal point of my 100th post at [G/R], during Whacking Day (go to the link if you have no clue what I’m talking about).

Michael Russell (B+): Mr. Under Armour also gave unheralded American tennis players further hope during his run to the round of 16 at IW. I’m an even bigger fan of his performance, not just because of the Cinderella nature of it, but due to the photo-op I had with him at the 2006 US Open (as if you needed me to remind you again). Russell came out of nowhere to reach the round of 16, where he took out Marc Gicquel, Tomas Berydch and Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, before falling to Chela. Russell has won three challenger events this year (Noumea, Waikoloa and Joplin), so his wild card was well deserved. Hopefully for Michael, this recent streak is a sign of things to come.

David Ferrer (B+): Nearly equalling Juan Ignacio Chela’s achievements, Ferrer reached the quarters at IW and the fourth round at Miami where he, not surprisingly, fell to Andy Roddick. Ferrer’s No.13 seeding may shock some, but his play this year has backed it up, with a win in his first event of 2007 in Auckland, and a run to the fourth round of the Australian Open.

Keep It Up
Paul-Henri Mathieu (B): To be unranked at 96-person draws such as IW and Miami is quite taxing – you not only play the seeded players earlier on, but you also need to play in the first round, whereas the seeds get a bye to check out the sights and concessions. Mathieu, a Frenchman long reviled for his inability to come through when it counts the most, played very well in Miami, defeating Kristof Vliegen, Jurgen Melzer (No.26), and then in a big upset, Fernando Gonzalez, who was ranked fifth.

Tommy Haas (B): His match with Andy Murray in the quarters of IW was like watching a car accident unfold – it was tough to watch, but you couldn’t get yourself to turn away. In spite of the rather ugly tennis that occurred at points, the match was a wildly entertaining affair. Haas had plenty of chances to win, but couldn’t hammer home the final nail. It must have taken a lot out of him, because only a few days later in Miami, he lost in the second round to lucky loser Alejandro Falla.

Tommy Robredo (B): Tough to pick who had the better performance in March – Robredo or Haas. Both reached a quarter-final at one event, but also lost in the second round in the other. I’m giving the nod to Haas because of his likely fatigue going into Miami, but you could just as easily defend Robredo, who after losing to Gilles Simon early in California, came back to reach the quarters in Miami. I’d like to think motivation played a pretty large role in that quick rebound.

Carlos Moya (B): The “other” Mallorcan took out pesky Guillermo Canas at Indian Wells, along with Radek Stepanek and Paul Capdeville, before falling to his countryman Ferrer in the round of 16. This performance earned him a bye in Miami, but Fabrice Santoro didn’t think much of his No.27 ranking and took him out in two sets. Still, because of his free pass into the second round, he earned a bit more currency than these next two competitors:

Julien Benneteau (B-): Unranked at both events, Benneteau was the latest person to take out James Blake on American soil at IW. He was rewarded with a match against Djokovic, where he was quickly sent packing after a 6-3, 6-1 defeat. Amer Delic, someone who Benneteau should have defeated, then ousted Julien 6-4, 6-4 in Miami. Back to the drawing board, but on the whole, not a bad month of play.

Feliciano Lopez (B-): Nadal, Ferrer, Robredo, Moya . . . now Lopez. All had fine results at these Masters Series events, with Lopez getting by Nicolas Massu, Marat Safin and Florent Serra in Miami before losing to, you guessed it, Djokovic. Spain’s depth should not be understated in the tennis world, and in spite of not having Nadal to play against the United States next week in North Carolina, they will be a very tough opponent for the Americans. Check back this week for extensive Davis Cup coverage at [G/R].

*** For more tennis coverage, go to www.gasquetandracquet.com ***

Are these grades about right after two tournaments? We want to hear from you at Sportingo.