Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic will be aiming for spots in the Beijing semifinals on Friday. They are set for respective showdowns against Americans Jack Sock and John Isner.
Jack Sock vs. (3) Rafael Nadal
Nadal and Sock will be going head-to-head for the second time in their careers and for the second time this season when they battle for a place in the China Open semifinals on Friday. Their only previous encounter came at the French Open, where Nadal advanced to the last eight with a 6-3, 6-1, 5-7, 6-2 victory. The eighth-ranked Spaniard is coming off a win over Sock’s doubles partner, Vasek Pospisil, in the Beijing second round. Nadal ousted the Canadian 7-6(3), 6-4 after beating Di Wu 6-4, 6-4 in his opener.
This hard-court surface obviously gives Sock a much better chance than clay. Perhaps even more importantly, the 23-year-old is quite simply in stellar form as he nears the end of what has been an outstanding season. Ranked 30th in the world, Sock is 27-13 for his 2015 campaign following wins this week over Teymuraz Gabashvili and Andreas Haider-Maurer. The American has not dropped a set and has been broken only once; he did not face a single break point against Haider-Maurer. Sock is more dangerous than Pospisil, for example, because his serve and forehand are slightly bigger and will not give Nadal a target at the net. The underdog will be content to outhit the favorite from the baseline, and that is something he can do right now with Nadal in mediocre form.
Pick: Sock in 3
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(1) Novak Djokovic vs. (6) John Isner
Djokovic will put an unbelievable 26-0 record in Beijing on the line when he takes the court against Isner. The world No. 1 is looking for his sixth title in as many appearances, having previously triumphed in 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014. His most recent campaign is off to a routine start with straight-set defeats of Simone Bolelli and Ze Zhang (five total games lost). Djokovic is 65-5 for the year with three Grand Slam titles.
The head-to-head series stands at 7-2 in favor of the top seed, who defeated Isner twice in succession earlier this season–6-4, 7-6(5) in Indian Wells and 7-6(3), 6-2 in Miami. Isner’s lone victories came three years earlier in Indian Wells (in a third-set tiebreaker) and at the 2013 Cincinnati Masters (7-5 in the third). An in-form American is coming off a fourth-round performance at the U.S. Open and so far in Beijing he has taken out Dominic Thiem and John Millman. Thursday’s second-rounder actually saw Millman serve for a straight-set win before Isner stormed back. The world No. 13 is obviously one of the most dangerous players in this draw–or any draw–but Djokovic may be the best returner in the game and nowhere is the favorite more invincible than he is at this tournament.
Pick: Djokovic in 2 with 1 tiebreaker
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Isner is just rubbish today. He wasn’t that good against Millman either. Djoker is leading by a set and a break.
was watching a bit of the match Isner vs Novak and realized it was a waste of time…but I was watching long enough to hear the Serbian commentator say: “Tomorrow, Rafa faces Fognini…can’t wait to see it. We all know Italian is Rafa’s worst nightmare this year”…the comments like this make me sick…why does he even care?..
Rafa is improving at slow pace but I think he stands better chance against Fog this time…as Rafa said these matches he treats like preparation for the season 2016…he has nothing to lose…I sense Rafa is more relaxed and it may help…
anyway, good to see Rafa in the semis…
Vamos Rafa!
juat watched first set of Nadal-Sock. Rafa was unspeakable.
perhaps needs a well-meant kick in the shoes
kidding, kidding !
^^^ will you put a sock in it, please Chloro, or I will sock you one.?
As I said above @ 11.47am, what was most encouraging was the fact Rafa analysed the first set loss and altered his game accordingly. One might ask why he had to lose the first set to find that out!
we’re not professional sports-people so it’s hard to say why Rafa would stand so far behind if he knows, better than anyone, that it’s counter-productive .. I guess you have one plan before the match and then you have to deal with what your opponent is throwing at you; a bit like when you go for a run motivated to go fast and then you lose your energy after 10 mins …
Sock is in form at expectedly came out all guns blazing.
no, it was not Sock…it was Rafa being awful in the first set…he seemed as he had given up from the very beginning and that early break…no emotions, no enthusiasm…very upsetting to watch but at least he changed his approach in the second and the third…Rafa still occupies the 3m behind the baseline and it is his main problem…a lot of shoots he was unable to hit deep due to that fact…why does he do it? One would say it’s confidence issue…others argue it’s his natural court positioning but the difference is that his shots now lack strength and he can no longer hit deep as he used to…
I personally think that Rafa was not pumped up in this match…yet he was able to win…and that is a good thing..
Fog lives on victories over Rafa,,,he is only known for that…he will again be hard to control…I am not sure if Rafa is ready to confront him the way he should…the way that would bring him victory…but I certainly hope Rafa will give his best tomorrow…
Rafa should be boiling inside and dying to prove to himself that he can outplay Fog with one hand tied behind his back were he playing at his former level.
Vamos Rafa!
Rafa was broken twice in the first set and both times he double faulted to give Sock the break. So it was all about Rafa not playing the way he needed to play. I had no doubt that Sock would come out guns blazing and just go for his shots. Rafa seemed to be not quite himself. He should not have been surprised by Sock’s aggressive tactics. But he just didn’t seem to show a lot of energy.
It did take him one whole set to adjust, but this is still progress. A come from behind win against a hot player who is a tough match up is always good for the confidence. This is a win that should help him against Fog. The thing is that Fog has now beaten him on clay and hard courts. That win at the USO will give Fog real belief going into this match. So it’s up to Rafa to change the dynamic and assert himself again.
I expect Rafa to come out motivated to get this win. He needs to put Fog in his place!