Today was an important day for me. I made the decision to watch the men's semi-finals at the French Open in full, without unnecessary interruption – in other words, I will not be going to work on Friday. Unfortunately, I can’t say the same about the quarter-finals, which take place during the next two days. Because of that, now seems about the right time for some picks for these four matches.

I’ve shied away from making selections on a large scale – meaning at least eight matches or more – for some time now. I used to enjoy the handicapping aspect of it, and seeing how I stacked up when the results came in. But I now think of those forecasts as blind luck and tiresome.

However, with only eight players remaining in the draw, I have a chance to see their terre battue games for some time. Having said that, here are four reasons you should be staying indoors to watch tennis if you don’t have to work the next few days:

(1) Roger Federer v (9) Tommy Robredo
They’ve already played in a Grand Slam this year. It was a pretty rudimentary victory for Federer, but going beyond the scope of the match in Melbourne, you can clearly see an utter dominance that is tilted towards the Swiss. Of course, Federer has this edge over nearly everyone on tour, but when you consider that he’s only dropped one out of 17 sets against Robredo, you get a sense of the huge edge in Roger’s favour. In fact, looking at the scores, the easiest victories for Federer have come on clay, when the two played in Hamburg (2005) and in Vienna (2002). I expect much the same this time around, as Federer has looked untouchable so far in Paris. Prediction: Federer in three sets.

(4) Nikolay Davydenko v (19) Guillermo Canas
When prognosticators started to pinpoint why Federer lost to Canas in consecutive tournaments earlier in the year, the reason that seemed to catch on the most was that Canas kept absolutely everything in play. The Argentinian’s tenacious defence and ground strokes eventually wore Federer out, or caused him to hit key shots awry, in these battles of attrition. Now Canas, who has the chance to likely play Federer again if he can win, will get to see what it was like to be Federer back in Indian Wells and Miami.

Davydenko’s game has many of the same attributes as Canas’s, and it’s been quite effective on the clay of Roland Garros. Without a doubt, Canas would love to get one more shot at Federer, especially at the French Open. Remember all that chatter about players betting on Canas being ranked in time for this Grand Slam? It’s evident that Guillermo has had his sights set on Paris for some time. But Davydenko also wants glory – and I think more so this year than in the past. A high ranking is nice, but a Grand Slam trophy would be even nicer. I hope I’m wrong on this, but I like Davydenko in this one – not because of the new clothing line, but because of a yell of excitement after he took out David Nalbandian in the fourth round. Prediction: Davydenko in four sets.

(6) Novak Djokovic v Igor Andreev
These two have been featured in some of the stories of the tournament so far – Andreev for his dismissal of third-seed Andy Roddick in the first round, and Djokovic for his great comeback from two sets to one down against Frenchman Olivier Patience. Andreev is the only unranked player left in the draw, and while everyone knew Igor from his stat that he was the last person to defeat Rafael Nadal before his 81-match winning streak began, no one would confuse the Russian as a consistent force on tour. His results this year have been spotty, but a deep run at the French would be an impressive line on his resume.

Djokovic, although younger, has more to prove. He can likely play Nadal in the next round if he wins, and he’d love to do so after he was forced to retire against Rafa last year at Roland Garros. Remember, it was Djokovic who said that he was in control of the match, albeit down two sets to none. But putting this aside for a minute, it is more critical for Novak to continue his progression into the elite echelon of players on the men’s tour. He has made quantum leaps so far, showing a game that is technically sound and overpowering against many opponents. Against Andreev, I think the more consistent play will prevail, and the Serbian will continue to impress. Prediction: Djokovic in three sets.

(22) Carlos Moya v (2) Rafael Nadal
I call this match the 'Brian Leetch match'. You may know that besides tennis, I have a deep love of hockey, and especially the New York Rangers. Well, in addition to their heartbreaking second-round play-off defeat this year, my favourite Ranger of all-time, defenceman Brian Leetch, officially retired as well. Leetch was a Ranger for most of his career, wearing No.22, which I’ve adopted as my favourite number. But when Leetch was a Boston Bruin in his final NHL season, he was forced to wear No.22, because Boston had already retired No.2 for one of its former stars. I don’t really like No.22 that much, because in my eyes, Leetch was always a Ranger.

I’m sure you can see where this is going. I like Nadal in this one, not just for the No.2 ranking, but because he’s unquestionably a better player than Moya. Although the Mallorcan kinship will be talked about leading up to this match, I don’t see the pupil falling to the teacher in this one. Nadal has learned much from Moya over their years together – most importantly, he’s learned how to win. Although the two played a tough three-setter in Rome, I don’t think the full five sets will be required in Paris. That isn’t due to a concern about fitness for the older Moya, but simply because Nadal is too superior at the moment. Prediction: Nadal in three sets.

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