Grand Slam Professional Tennis Predictions and Picks by Nick Bollettieri. US Open, French Open, Wimbledon, Australian Open

As the quarterfinals are now set in Rome, the question this morning has to be whether or not we will get an All-American semifinal? It could/would be between Andy Roddick and James Blake if they can both win their quarterfinal matches today. Blake is playing right now against Stanislas Wawrinka and has won the first set in a tie-break. Roddick will play a little later today against #14 Tommy Robredo. Robredo is an excellent player, but Roddick may have caught a bit of a break as Robredo was able to upset #4 Nikolay Davydenko in three sets. This is mainly because Roddick is 7-0 against Robredo, with a win over him on clay in Rome in 2002.

After all the talk about Americans suffering on clay, I don’t think this potential match could be overstated. I know that Blake definitely got a big break with JCF ousting Rafael Nadal (who would have been his opponent in the quarters) in the second round, but those are the kind of things that happen in tennis. To have an American semi, which would ultimately lead to an American in the final, would be great for tennis in the States. It would also, hopefully, lead to both players gaining confidence heading into the French Open. If you remember, last year’s French Open was a disaster for American men. Roddick, Blake and every other American male lost their first round match, giving the Americans an 0-9 record last year. Let’s hope that doesn’t happen again.

If they were to play, Roddick holds a 6-2 lead versus Blake in his career. But, Blake’s two wins have come the last two times they have played. On clay, they have only met once, which was in 2002 at Houston with Roddick winning.