Is Blake a Clay court contender?

James Blake passed a major test in his opening round at the US Clay Court Championships in Houston.  The top seeded American was able to outlast Japanese star, Kei Nishikori, 6-4, 6-4 - earning revenge for his loss at Delray Beach 2 months ago.  You may remember Nishikori shocking the tennis world when he stormed through the qualifying rounds and upset James for his first career title (Delray); for James to return the favor on clay is impressive:

"It definitely feels good any time you can avenge a loss,'' Blake said. "He's an excellent player, and 18 years old, he's got a huge learning curve and will continue to get better.''

A tournament victory for James in Houston would make a major statement on tour, proving that the American can finally be placed on the "favorites list" at the 2008 French Open.  Many "J-Block fans" are wondering when James will finally break through and have a magical run, en route to his first Grand Slam title.  Realistically, his game is suited to win 'down under' at the Australian Open, on the fast grass courts of Wimbledon, or in his home town, on the quick hard courts at Flushing Meadows....however a French Open title seems a bit far-fetched. 

Blake's serve is big enough to win on any surface, his forehand is equally as dangerous, but the major weakness for James on clay is his one-handed backhand.  He has a very hard time producing topspin off that stroke in order to generate an effective ball on clay.  Furthermore, his slice often lacks the "action/spin" needed to really wreak havoc at Roland Garros.  Of course it's a world class backhand, which is why he is one of the best players on tour, however, when comparing his topspin to Rafael Nadal, there is a clear cut difference/drop off.  With that being said, a win this week in Houston will establish that James can in fact win on the “slow stuff” (green clay), and potentially give American tennis fans something to cheer about in a few weeks when the French Open rolls around.