The Bay Area's own Sam Querrey hasn't had the greatest start to his 2011 campaign, but he did accomplish one goal he had in place: win at the French Open. No, that doesn't mean he was aiming to take home the 2011 Roland Garros crown, he simply wanted to just get in the win column at the event that he was previously 0-4 at. He took care of that business, beating Philipp Kohlschreiber in four sets. Unfortunately, he went on to be dropped by Ivan Ljubicic in straight sets, but he did get a win, and he'll tell you that it was all that mattered at that point. Ljubicic went on to do some more damage by defeating the higher-seeded Fernando Verdasco, and most had Querrey as the underdog in that match. So with his win, he forges on.
Now, he's got his sights set on grass court season, and the AEGON Championships in London. Querrey has high hopes to get his 2011 back on track (currently a dismal 8-13 on the year) by potentially capturing his first title of the season, something he's perfectly capable of doing here. That is, of course, because he took the title last year by beating fellow American Mardy Fish 7-6, 7-5 in the final.
He's in action today, as the third match on the first court, taking on the world number sixty Kei Nishikori. The Japanese Nishikori is 16-11 this year, and that mark would be better if not for a few injuries that have been mucking up his 2011 season. Nishikori is unquestionably better than his No. 60 ranking, but he'll still have his hands full with Querrey, who is better on the grass courts.
And he did have his hands full with Querrey in the only other meeting between the two, but he still did manage to pull off the upset. In 2008, Querrey had more than a couple match point attempts on Nishikori, but he couldn't seal the deal, and he fell in the end, giving Nishikori the upset. This time, the 6'6'' Querrey should be the favorite again, and his strong-serving game will translate well to the grass court.
The men's singles draw at the AEGON Championships event is right here, and Querrey is in a position to potentially play somebody like Rafael Nadal in the semifinals. That side of the bracket also features guys like Stanislas Wawrinka and Juan Martin Del Potro, so this should be an interesting one in regards to Querrey potentially getting himself back on track.