Beijing SF previews and pick: Djokovic vs. Murray, Berych vs. Klizan

October 4, 2014 Ricky Match previews 145

Murray 3Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray will renew their extensive rivalry in the Beijing semifinals on Saturday. Tomas Berdych and Martin Klizan are also seeking a place in the title match.

(1) Novak Djokovic vs. (6) Andy Murray

Djokovic and Murray will be facing each other for the 22nd time in their careers and for the third time this season when they collide in the semifinals of the China Open on Saturday. The head-to-head series stands at 13-8 in favor of Djokovic, who has taken both of their 2014 encounters. He prevailed 7-5, 6-3 at the Miami Masters and 7-6(1), 6-7(1), 6-2, 6-4 in the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open to improve to 11-6 lifetime against Murray on hard courts.

Bouncing back from a slow hard-court summer in the kind of fashion that anyone could have expected, Djokovic has improved to 22-0 for his Beijing career following straight-set victories this week over Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, Vasek Pospisil, and Grigor Dimitrov. The top-ranked Serb is two wins away from a fifth title at this event. Murray reached the last four by taking out Jerzy Janowicz, Pablo Cuevas, and U.S. Open champion Marin Cilic. The 11th-ranked Scot has been getting better and better since a three-set struggle against Janowicz in round one. Murray’s quick work of Cilic was just what he needed on Friday, but he has still played a ton of tennis over the past two weeks and that is not likely help his effort to stop what has been an unstoppable force in Beijing.

Pick: Djokovic in 2

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(3) Tomas Berdych vs. (Q) Martin Klizan

Berdych and Klizan will be squaring off for the fourth time in their careers and for the third time at the ATP level. All three of their previous meetings have gone Berdych’s way; 6-3, 7-6(3) at the 2009 Prostejov Challenger, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 last year at Wimbledon, and 6-3, 4-6, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 at this summer’s U.S. Open. The sixth-ranked Czech has not been outstanding of late, but he has been dominant in Beijing. Berdych booked his spot in the semis by rolling over Feliciano Lopez, Viktor Troicki, and John Isner in routine straight sets.

Klizan, meanwhile, is in the midst of a borderline miracle week. He trailed Xin Gao 6-4, 5-1 in the first round of qualifying and had to save three match points to stay alive. The 56th-ranked Slovak eventually qualified for the main draw, got past Leonardo Mayer and Ernests Gulbis, then stunned world No. 2 Rafael Nadal 6-7(7), 6-4, 6-3 on Friday. It has been a great run for Klizan, but it is always hard to follow up a monumental win especially with no day of rest in between matches.

Pick: Berdych in 2

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145 Comments on Beijing SF previews and pick: Djokovic vs. Murray, Berych vs. Klizan

  2. This does not sound good…..

    RT @juanjosetennis: “Problem with the Muzzard is that he’s being assertive almost as a desperation tactic. If it goes wrong…”see, it doesn’t work!””

    RT @juanjosetennis: “I used to think it was a matter of time before Andy came back to the top 5. Now I’m not so sure anymore.”

    Reply

  3. Murray is suffering from lack of confidence. He played much better at the beginning of the year, but recently, he’s lost badly to the top 3 and I think that’s causing some doubts. If he gets a good win over one of them (obviously, not Rafa as far as I am concerned) his confidence will be back.

    Reply

    • But we have seen Rafa suffer from lack of confidence too, in fact I would say a lack of confidence had a lot to do with the loss to Klizan but Muzza’s confidence issues just appear so…………major. I cannot see him being a Slam contender in this form whereas I can see Rafa being one.

      Reply

  4. Rafa and Murray have had to come back from extended period of time out we don’t know how Federer or Nole will cope with that.

    Reply

    • To my mind Andy is making progress. For the first part of the year he was hampered by concern about the state of his back. He is over that now and, as he said himself, he has played eight matches without any physical problems. It was not so much a lack of confidence as a lack of concentration in his encounter with Novak. This has always been an issue for him and more often than not contributes to his losses. I wouldn’t write him off just yet.

      I would just like to see him qualify for the WTF.

      Reply

  5. No surprise. Berdy takes out Klizan easy peasy as expected.

    He is playing well again but so is Nole (like I said he would).

    Nole in 2 on Sunday, YE No. 1 is his.

    Rafa’s head is in the right place for Australia.

    Nole has the toughest draw in Shanghai next week with Muzza in his quarter and Fed in his half.

    Rafa however could have to face Isner, Gulbis or Raonic, but not a bad draw overall for him all things considered. (Klizan in Nole’s quarter.)

    (Fight the good fight NNY)

    Reply

      • Kei will be tired winning back to back titles. Hew ill be easy for Fed to handle as his legs will give up.

        Otherwise Nishi could have taken out Fed

        Reply

    • @hawkeye,

      Don’t worry! I am not going anywhere!

      It was frustrating to see Berdy dispense with Klizan in two sets. Rafa let that one get away from him, but at least he is aware of it and knows why it happened. He just needs to play more.

      Novak will beat Berdy in two sets. I expect him to win this title again.

      I am glad that Rafa came back and played in these last months of the tennis year. He needs to get himself back and ready for the 2015 AO.

      Rafa will take Shanghai one match at a time.

      Reply

      • It was good Rafa lost. The way Novak played today against Berdy..he would have beaten Rafa bad too. It is good he avoided Novak so early in the comeback

        Reply

  6. RT @juanjosetennis: “Suprising Andy Murray factoid for the 2014 season: he’s 0-3 against the Lost Boys (2 losses to Dimitrov, one to Raonic).”

    See……this is more worrying for me (for Muzza) than a Rafa loss to Klizan. Klizan winning against Rafa is an abherration but Muzza losing to Dimi and Raonic are not. Those 2 are genuine Top 10 contenders, Klizan is not.

    Reply

  12. Berdy complaining to the Umpire about the balls but of course that is not a whine, only Rafa whines………….according to the “Rafa-love” club.

    Reply

    • ^^Hahaha! C’mon @nadline10, you gotta admit this will add oodles to Djokovic’s already sky-high confidence!

      Poor Berdy………….

      Reply

    • vmk1,

      Oops! There you go! You said it! Novak in God mode!

      The simple truth is that this is Novak’s time of year. These fast hard courts suit his game and he’s had great success. Sometimes you just have to tip your hat and say well done.

      Reply

      • Well, continuing with the symmetry: Djokovic has never beaten Rafa at Barcelona, so I do not expect Rafa to beat Djokovic at Beijing. However, Djokovic has beaten Rafa at Madrid (which follows Barcelona) so I expect Rafa to beat Djokovic at Shanghai, which follows Beijing!!! However, do not expect to see Francis Roig cavorting on a car in Shanghai after the feat………….*wink*

        Reply

    • I know, I know…….
      I am trying to be STRICLY correct: just talking about ATP events, making the comparison to Barcelona more apt.

      Reply

  30. Novak is far more consistent than Rafa ..that is the truth..Rafa from past 4 years (2011 onwards) has far too many ups and downs..u can expect shock losses from him which will hardly happen to Novak. Rafas confidence comes from lot of play unlike Novak who seems to settle into the groove easily.

    You can almost count on Novak to be in semis/finals 85% of the tourneys..we cant say that for Rafa at all (except 2013 where he surprised us all year except the 1st round exit in Wimby, he was there in semis and finals everywhere and ofcourse won 10 titles)

    Reply

      • Truth is always bitter to swallow..but the truth is NOVAK IS FAR MORE CONSISTENT THAN RAFA..and the results from past 4 years show that and only facts speak for themselves.

        Who cares if someone puts a dustbin pic..does not change the truth.

        I would have loved as a Rafa fan to see Rafa as consistent as Novak ..unfortunately is not meant to be and we have to put up with all the highs and lows. As long as he wins the critical bigger tourneys (read slams and Masters and WTF) ..I do not bother about the lows.

        Reply

      • I did not exclude 2013..I made a mention of it ..but 2011 onwards till 2014 ..why don’t u count the number of semis/finals Novak has made vs how many Rafa has made?

        Novak – 28 titles (10, 7,6,5 2011-2014) and 9 finalist appearances

        Rafa – 21 titles (3,4,10,4) and 15 finalist appearances

        If you add it is 37 Novak vs 36 Rafa , but then if you add semis also as business end..Novak will be far higher. Novak is far less prone to suffer shock exits.

        Numbers for Roger are 14 titles (4,6,1,3) and 13 finalist appearances.

        And if Rafa gets injured..does not mean we belittle Novaks consistency. It is to Novaks credit that he avoids injuries..I wish Rafa could.

        Reply

  31. I really loved watching Kei today..that guy is so great from both wings..he takes ball so early and quality of his winners is outstanding..If his health is good..he can do some serious damage.

    I place him above Grigor and Raonic in 2015 to cause some serious damage and make some serious noise.

    Reply

    • Rafa is nowhere in the running for no 1 this year..You know it too well enough 🙂

      Look at my post above. I am talking 2011-2014

      And please don’t bring Rafas injury to bail him out. If Novak can stay healthy and Rafa cannot, that is Rafas problem..he needs to find a way to stay healthy.

      Reply

      • Why exclude 2013? also, mathematically, Rafa can still be YE #1.

        2O12
        Rafa played half of the season
        4 titles 1 final

        Nole – full season
        6 titles 5 finals.

        There is no need to detail 2013 because everyone knows who did better that year. if you want to denigrate Rafa, you should be able to do better than that. It’s ridiculous to say Rafa’s time out should not be included because he can’t be expected th win matches if he is not playing.

        Reply

      • Where am I excluding 2013..I said 2011 to 2014 which includes 2013..All my stats are including 2013

        Rather than saying Rafa has a chance to finish 2014 as No 1 which will never happen, let us hope he hangs on to the No 2 atleast..I see that itself as a big risk.. This is Rogers strongest part of season and Rafas least favourite.

        No one is denigrating Rafa..you choose to see it that way.

        If Rafa gets injured that often..it is his fault..it is not Novaks who manages to stay healthy

        If Novak is far more consistent..that is to Novaks credit too..Rafa needs to do better at being consistent and not get bumped out by nobodys. Who is responsible for Rafa playing half seasons or 75% seasons? Rafa himself right..What matters is finally who won how many titles and made how many finals..history does not look at injury time etc..I am sure u know that 🙂

        Reply

      • Lordy da, just had a vision of @Sanju turning up at a recent Rafa training session (with Rafa’s right wrist in a splint btw) in Majorca wearing a Vamos Rafa t-shirt, holding a placard reading, “If you get injured often, it’s your damn fault. You need to find a way to stay healthy, signed: your truth-telling fan”.

        *shivers*

        Reply

  33. I’ll be happy if Rafa can manage to finish No. 2. He still trails Roger by more than 500 points in the Race.

    Shanghai will give us a better indication but as Rafa said himself, the remaining tournaments and the ball used don’t suit him well and he it’s treating the rest of the year almost like practice.

    #PractiseWeTalkinBoutPractise
    #HappyNewYearEverybody

    Reply

  35. Tomáš BerdychVerified account @tomasberdych
    We saw great tennis from @DjokerNole /god’s performance/ congrats and well done!!See you in #shanghai

    Looks like someone sufficiently stretched his imagination.

    Now, who to believe.

    I know! My own eyes!!!!

    #2.0

    Reply

      • You need to work on your reading comprehension dear filter. Not what he said.

        He was referring to one match out of the 600 he’s played.

        That’s quite the wishful extrapolation you made there.

        #ReadingFilter

        Reply

      • no ,it was not expected at all ! even borg predicted a tough battle and gave federer a decent chance of winning the final ! he had rafa as the favourite but said it would be a battle… and nadal-federer hamburg 2008 final was a very close encounter as well so this complete blowout was not at all expected esp given that fed had played thee tough four-setters against rafa at RG in the past.

        that performance was one of the best performances in a grand slam final …it sure was in our generation.

        This performance by novak was one of the best performances in a best-of-three set matches in our generation because you just cant manhandle a player like berdych on a fast court this this. too good

        Reply

  43. this is mindblowing stuff from djokovic…did not watch the match so I thought may be berdych was injured? he was not ! so this performance is out of this world. djokovic is an all-time great and who knows how much he’l achieve on hard courts.

    this is the strongest performance in a best of 3 since rafas 6-0 6-2 demolition of ferrer in the acapulco final 2013. but berdych has a big service game and reaching 6-0 5-0 on a very quick court is just ….wow…

    federer will be back in shanghai and he will be strong…djokovic is the man to beat of course…. murray is nowhere near the level he is capable of…del potro is not on the tour….rafa has just come back on the tour and this is a weak part of the season for him..he will be low on confidence but will be playing without pressure so come on rafa do your best !

    Reply

    • oh come on now stop these cheap attacks …you don’t have anything substantial to say and all you do is post this crap again and again . there are far better ways to defend rafa and highlight the areas where he is the best. i guess it is too much to expect maturity !

      realize that rafa cannot be superior to his rivals in every aspect. he has his own strengths and his opponents have their own and we cannot deny that. it is about weighing comparing those strengths and trying to gauge where the balance tilts. djokovic’s career’s legacy cannot match rafa’s, rafa is far ahead. but there was certain areas where djokovic is clearly stronger.

      djokovic’s ROS is so damn strong that rafa will never be able to match him in that regards.so , he is able to put together these ruthless performances and is able to destroy opponents. rafa is more vulnerable to early rnd exits but he is the daddy when it comes to playing on the biggest of stages.

      ACCEPT THAT. rafa cannot be superior in every damn way !

      Reply

      • Exactly vamosrafa..it does not take much to figure that Rafa is a big match player and maybe the most bankable in big stage matches..but compared to Fed and Novak..is more vulnerable to lose to random players out of the blue too. He is clearly far less consistent than Djokovic, no doubt about that.

        And if Rafa was so superior to Djokovic..their H2H would not be 22-19 ..it is too close for comfort..

        Reply

      • @vamosrafa,

        I agree with you. Rafa isn’t superhuman. Even he realizes that his rivals have some advantages over him. He’s the first to give Novak all due credit for being such a tough opponent. Novak’s ROS is brilliant. Rafa has acknowledged it. Also, Rafa has said in the past that he has to be at his best physically and mentally to beat Novak.

        I don’t see anything wrong with giving Novak credit. Rafa is confident in himself to be able to praise Novak. He knows just how tough Novak is and the kind of tennis he is capable of producing. One more reason to love Rafa – he is able to give respect to his opponents. He’s a class act.

        Reply

    • nadline..the one who points out others opinions as nonsense maybe the biggest nonsense so full of herself..maybe u should consider that?

      If u don’t agree, does not mean others will stop saying what they feel,u better get used to it..coz I aint going anywhere..If u think u pasting all these images will stop me from voicing my opinion..that ain’t gonna happen..

      if I feel like being critical of Rafa,I will and if I wanna praise Rafa,I will. If I wanna praise his fiercest rivals..I will..I will say exactly what I feel like as long as I don’t denigrate any player personally or any poster personally here.

      It is my opinion and I will voice it.

      Reply

    • sanju was merely voicing out his opinions and he was discussing tennis ! he gave some informative stats and pointed out good things.

      Reply

    • I am RITB..I don’t think anyone expected this scoreline..I am sure Novak himself did not expect.

      If Nishi is injured, Fed gets lucky again in QF unless Dimitrov reaches there and manages to say something(:-

      Reply

      • Berdych has never given Novak, or Rafa, any problems except for that weird Rome match where Berdy beat Novak. Berdy’s problem is movement, or lack thereof. He’s too easy for Novak and Rafa, all they do is pull him from side to side………….

        Reply

  47. That kind of scoreline is a total beatdown. Berdy has shown that he is capable of making it competitive against Novak in the past. This was a demolition.

    Reply

  50. and come on people ! this scoreline was not surprising? this is hugely surprising !!
    Someone with as big a game as berdy cannot be manhandled for 2 sets nonstop. He is able to produce a stint in which he dominates. I will watch the match and then post some thoughts. For now , looking at the scoreline only , this is a very surprising scoreline.

    Reply

  51. I never expected Tomas to win, but I didn’t except the match to be as one-sided as it was (I actually watched it live, 4:30 am my time). Before the match, I checked their previous H2H. They had played 17 times, Tomas only winning 2 of those, one on grass and one on clay. But, he’d never been bageled by Novak. Novak was at his efficient best, playing against an opponent who doesn’t have the skill-set to handle that kind of game. All kudos to Novak. I always enjoy watching him play (except when he’s beating Rafa, of course, but even then I have the utmost respect), but I think this is another one of those matches where I chalk it up to the opponent being a bad match-up against someone who was really on their game. Novak’s got a real test coming in Shanghai…he’s got a tough draw. He loves this time of year and the Asian swing, so I expect that he will do very well, but it won’t be easy.

    Reply

    • thanks for your thoughts JPACNW…so novak really was devastating and berdy, who obviously lacks the game to consistently trouble novak, was not able to pose any kind of threat …

      I agree that even though he is the best, he won’t have it easy in shanghai and the following events.

      Reply

    • jpacnw,

      I really enjoy reading your thoughts. Thanks for the info on the lopsided H2H with these two guys. I want to see the replay on the tennis channel, but I did get a look at Novak’s previous match and he seemed to be feeling it. It’s good to be able to appreciate the skills of another player. As you said, one can enjoy his game when it’s not against Rafa! LOL!

      This does seem to be his time of year.

      Reply

  52. I checked Tomas’ record against Andy, Rafa, and Roger, to see how often he’s been bageled. Rafa’s done it twice on clay, Roger once on grass, and none for Andy. And as I wrote previously, Novak had never done it despite them having played 17 times. So, I still think this is an instance where Novak was just playing very well, as he does in this tournament, and Tomas playing not just less than his best, but just not having the skills necessary to have a plan B against Novak when things are going so horribly wrong. Novak is still the man to beat in Shanghai.

    Reply

  53. rafaisthebest says:
    October 5, 2014 at 5:02 pm
    Lordy da, just had a vision of @Sanju turning up at a recent Rafa training session (with Rafa’s right wrist in a splint btw) in Majorca wearing a Vamos Rafa t-shirt, holding a placard reading, “If you get injured often, it’s your damn fault. You need to find a way to stay healthy, signed: your truth-telling fan”.

    *shivers*

    ……………………………………………………………………………………………………
    Exactly!

    http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m155/StudioBueno/CrocTears01.jpg

    Reply

  54. I only got to see the 2nd set so was spared the sight of Berdy being humiliated in the first set. Djokovic had really got the bit between his teeth and apart from a couple of wobbles he was unstoppable: everything was firing – particularly his serve which has come on by leaps and bounds and also his net play* which used to be a weakness in his game.

    *Should BB take some of the credit for that?

    Reply

  55. I had no doubts that Nole would destroy Berdy today…I did not see this score coming but TBH Berdy was losing to Feliciano Lopez quite often this year and even lost to Yen-Hsun in Cincy and would not even have made it to meet Cilic in the USO if he had tougher draw…so clearly Birdy is not at the top of his game right now…and when we add to it the nick we have for Birdy-so called “king of chokes” we should be able to see why this beatdown was not that much of a surprise…I don’t want to take anything from Nole though so I trust he was amazing…I admit did not see the match because I preferred watching Manchester United and skipped the torture poor Berdy went through…

    Nole will most likely win Shanghai…high on confidence with no real opponent except for Fed who may still surprise him…it’s a bad matchup 🙂 Fed just may does not mean he will…

    Reply

    • ^^^Ooohh, Aaahhhh! I knew there was a reason I relate to you @nats (apart from being a fellow fan of a certain good looking fellow from Majorca), YOU IS A ManU FAN!!!

      I applaud your good and high taste in football team…….

      #VanGaalicious
      #ManchesterIsRed

      Reply

  56. and let’s not over emphasize the significance of this win…after all, it is only a 500 tourney that Nole already owns…so we should be patient and wait until the end of the season…it all may end up quite differently than expected….

    What matters is that Rafa is still the best looking fellow on tour. He should draw some confidence from it … 🙂

    Vamos Rafa!

    Reply

  57. @Sanju, if you call Rafa a whiner (like you did on a separate thread), and are dismissive of his injuries, like you did on this thread, which are your opinions, to which you are entitled then:
    (a) remember other people are just as entitled to air their opinions, rebut yours and defend Rafa;
    (b) don’t cry, “I’m being attacked” when you have just attacked Rafa yourself. If you are free to “attack” Rafa, as you say you are, then know that other people are also free to “attack” you.

    You probably do not visit tennis-x blog (and other Federrazzi blogs out there) enough to know that the standard lines the Federazzi over there throw at Rafa are: he is a whiner and his playing style causes his injuries……..same lines as yours.

    Just saying.

    Reply

    • A lot of posters here always support anyone who attacks Rafa but disapprove of anyone who defends him. I don’t know of any forum where fans of Rafa’s rivals openly attack and put them down whilst singing Rafa’s praises.

      It’s a crime to defend Rafa on the Grandstand. The usual suspects always gang up to support any Rafa bad mouthing and firmly believe they are the good guys.

      Reply

  58. Excuse me if I jump in on this spat. Sanju has used this technique of ‘attacking’ Rafa to ward off disappointment for years. It used to drive me nuts when she did it during tense matches until I realised it was her coping mechanism.

    Reply

    • @ed251137, I do “get” @Sanju and now just laugh off his “coping mechanisms”. My post is simply to point out that once he puts out his thoughts out there, other people will respond, and he should not be surprised when they do, could be their coping mechanism too!

      Reply

    • Sorry ed, I really don’t think that’s the case. 90% of Sanju’s posts are putting Rafa down buoyed up by those who disapprove of anyone disagreeing with her, pointing out that it’s disloyal to talk about Rafa like that all the time and call yourself his fan.

      But he’s got support from a few posters who want to gag anyone coming to Rafa’s defence.

      Reply

  59. ed, if you go back and read the posts the more people said things like good on you sanju, you say what you like it’s the people who defend Rafa that are wrong; slag Rafa all you want we agree with you, the more she laid into Rafa.

    Reply

  60. Djoko has patches where he doesn’t do well, he didn’t win anything in the Nth American swing, but I’ve only seen support from his fans all over the net and he hasn’t even been out with injury. For Rafa fans to go along with someone who says Rafa’s injuries are his fault and she is not going to make any allowances for that is astonishing. Even more astonishing are that people who agree with him.

    Reply

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