A few questions after Michael Llodra's 7-5, 6-1 dismantling of Nikolay Davydenko in the Paris quarters:
—Who hits a flatter one-handed backhand than Llodra? The only spin the Frenchman seems to put into this shot is the exact amount required to keep it in play. It's hit hard and deep, which makes it very difficult to return.
—Can Robin Soderling return serve as well as he serves? This is the biggest question, in my mind, of tomorrow's Soderling-Llodra semi. If the Swede can get some good licks on his returns, Llodra will have a tough time striking pinpoint volleys and will have less time to set up his deadly backhands. Llodra didn't serve great today, but he'll need to tomorrow if he's to pull off the upset.
—How do you say "destiny" in French? The crowd was amped today and they'll be even more so when Llodra walks out on court with Soderling. I'm still picking Soderling in this match, but you can't ignore the fact that a Frenchman has reached the Bercy final in each of the last two seasons. (It was also the site of Sebastien Grosjean's only Masters title.)
—Have we seen the best of Nikolay Davydenko? A question that only a tennis diehard could love. I think we have—and it happened this year; not in 2009, when the Russian won the Shanghai Masters and the ATP World Tour Finals. Davydenko won the first set of his Australian Open quarterfinal against Roger Federer 6-2 with Brett Hull-like offense (blink-and-you-miss-them winners) and Pong-like defense. When he led by a break in the second set, I was ready to write Federer's Melbourne obituary. But all the pundits who said Davydenko would break through in Melbourne looked foolish by the end, as Federer came back to win in four. Still, before his grand collapse, we saw a Grand Slam champion, briefly, in Davydenko.
—Why was "Born in the U.S.A." playing after Llodra's win? Je ne sais pas.
—Ed McGrogan