Madrid Open 2012: Tomas Berdych's Early Dominance Will Carry Him to Title

Tomas Berdych has breezed through his first three matches at the Madrid Open, putting himself in the driver's seat to capture his second tournament championship this year. 

When the tournament started, all the talk was about Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer—the usual suspects, as I like to call them—because they are the top three players in the world right now. 

Along the way, though, something strange happened. Nadal and Djokovic were busy complaining about the blue surface they had to play on, and subsequently lost in the third round and quarterfinals, respectively. 

Berdych, the sixth-ranked player in this event, has not dropped a set. He has defeated Kevin Anderson, No. 12 Gael Monfils and No. 15 Fernando Verdasco up to this point. 

Even more impressive than his victories has been the ease with which he has done it. In addition to not dropping a set so far, he has lost a total of five games in the last two rounds against the 12th- and 15th-ranked players. 

No one else still vying for the Madrid Open championship can say that. Berdych entered the event as one of those second-tier players who could win if everything broke right for him. 

Even if Nadal and Djokovic were still playing, Berdych would be the man to beat. His dominance has been thrilling to watch, just because he is not someone we expect to run over his opponents. He has been a really good player for a long time, but never looked this good. 

With Berdych hitting his stride this season, there is no reason to think that he won't take home the Madrid Open championship. If he doesn't, it would be an upset along the lines of Nadal or Djokovic losing earlier this week. 

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