Day 9: 78 Winners

The French fans have a quarterfinalist. Gael Monfils struck 78 winners in his 7-6(1), 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 victory over Ivan Ljubicic. In what must have been the highest quality claycourt match from both sides of the net, Ljubicic struck 71 winners to 47 unforced errors. Gael had a mere 28 errors in the match.

I wish I could have seen it.

Can the Frenchman go further? It would be great to see. But he's got a rough customer in David Ferrer. However, if Monfils can stay on the baseline and dictate play, he's got the weapons, the defense, and the athleticism to give himself a good chance against the dogged Spaniard.

Berlin champion Dinara Safina saved a matchpoint and upset world No. 1 Maria Sharapova in three sets, just as she did two years ago in the same venue.