Nadal, Federer still on collision course

After a week of action at the French Open, the men's draw is playing out pretty much as expected. Federer is into the fourth round, and Nadal will play his third round match today against Lleyton Hewitt. Djokovic and Murray are also still alive, so there have not been any huge upsets so far. It looks like both Federer and Nadal will march straight to the final. I really can't see Djokovic or Murray or anyone else posing a threat to them. And I'm not sure Federer will be able to beat Nadal on clay. He's lost to him in the final here three years in a row, and right now Nadal looks unstoppable, not even coming close to dropping a set.

French Open ready to begin

The second Grand Slam of the tennis year, and the culmination of the clay-court season, is about to get underway next week. The draws for the French Open are already out, and Roger Federer is the top seed with Rafa Nadal at number two. No chance of them playing each other before the final. I notice that Juan Martin del Potro is not in the tournament, which is a shame. Not sure what's going on with him. I think he had an injury a few months ago, but I'm surprised he's not back yet. Without him, it looks like Federer and Nadal are the only real contenders for the crown. I'd love to see them match up in the final again. They recently played in the final of the Madrid tournament for the second consecutive year, but the outcome was different this time around, with Nadal coming out on top. Federer will have his work cut out for him if he wants to defend his title at Roland Garros.

Phillies wrap up Atlanta series with a win

Thirty games into the baseball season, the Phillies amassed an 18-12 record, good enough for first place in their division. This weekend they hosted the Braves, and after dropping yesterday's game, game #31 of the season was this afternoon. The Phils started Cole Hamels, who has struggled lately but had an excellent outing against the Cardinals in his last start. He was not quite as impressive today. The Phillies gave him a 4-0 lead, but he almost lost it in the 5th. The Braves piled on the hits, scoring 3 runs. Fortunately Hamels was able to stop the bleeding, but that was his last inning in the game. The Phillies tacked on an additional run, and the bullpen kept Atlanta quiet for a final 5-3 victory. Brad Lidge got the save, albeit a shaky one. The first batter he faced blasted a pitch that would have been a home run had the wind not knocked it down. Second batter did the same thing. On any normal day, that's a blown save right there. But all that matters is the W, and they got it. Tomorrow they'll be in Colorado for a series against the Rockies.