Do we expect too much from Querrey? - 3/27/2011

Date: 3/27/2011
Result: Miami R3, Viktor Troicki def. Sam Querrey 7-6 3-6 7-5
Why it matters:
- Another tournament, another loss for Sam Querrey against a player that you'd give him a fair chance to beat.  And it was close - that much is clear.  But all too often, there are matches where everyone thinks "if Sam wins this, he'll really take off, finally!" - examples: Robredo in Indian Wells, Kubot in Melbourne, Monaco in Paris Masters, Wawrinka in US Open, Anderson in Canada Masters, etc. - and he ALWAYS loses.  If he's losing in the fourth round of the US Open to a top 5 player, then you're going to give him a pass, but that's never what happens.  But, maybe it's we, as fans, brainwashed to think tennis would only be fun with "the next great American star", who expect Sam to win these matches, when, in fact, he's already overachieved.  Maybe he's peaked at this level.  He never seems intense, doesn't look like an elite athlete really, and doesn't have a weapon in his game as devastating as his contemporaries.  I propose we just be happy that Sam has been a consistent top 30 player and hope (but not expect) good things from him.
- Troicki, too, is probably overachieving.  He's riding the Davis Cup Champion wave (not as high as Djokovic), and his results are better than ever.  I think the camaraderie boost of having plenty of players from one nation having success is often talked about, but in Troicki's case, he's really made the most of it.  I'm not sure how long he can ride this kind of wave... but there's no reason he can't be a success on clay.  Look for him to put in a good performance at home in Belgrade, too.
Honorable Mentions:
- Miami R3, Francesca Schiavone def. Lourdes Dominguez Lino - 64 76 - following her slump while she was celebrating her Roland Garros triumph, Schiavone has been the most consistent performer other than Wozniacki.  She really doesn't have any/many bad losses and she's had some spectacular wins.  She probably won't defend her title in Paris, but if she makes the quarters or semis, I wouldn't be shocked at all.

- Miami R3, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova def. Petra Kvitova - 64 67 60 - Pavlyuchenkova is a popular pick to be top 10 soon, but Kvitova had the more impressive results leading up to this meeting.  Expect these two to meet many more times in the near future, if both keep going on their current tracks.