Novak 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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Just saw a repeat…………
Oh Muzza………
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.”
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.
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.
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.
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.
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)
I take it back. Fed has the toughest draw with Special-Kei in his quarter, and Nole in his half.
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
@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.
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
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.
https://twitter.com/SharkoTennis/status/518425092909707265
Greg Sharko
@SharkoTennis
During @DjokerNole 23-match winning streak @ChinaOpen, has won 46 of 49 sets. This week has broken opp. 18 times (in 36 games).
More sage wisdom…
Boris BeckerVerified account
@TheBorisBecker
Let’s do this !!! djokernole #TeamDjokovic #nolefam http://instagram.com/p/tvDCPnkf7O/
TennisTV@TennisTV
@DjokerNole gets that final feeling! He’s through in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4 over @andy_murray
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BzFSWLtCAAAI7u4.jpg
#NoleFam
This match so clearly illustrates the gulf between Berdy and the Top 2………..
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.
Poor Berdy………..brings his best, still not good enough for Novak.
This can’t be Berdy’s best.
I think it is, @nadline10, it’s just not good enough I’m afraid….
This has double bagel written all over it………………
OMG!! What scoreline in the final. Reminds me of Monte Carlo 2010.
https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTYFYOxDf2jQ8-u6CPFmjMfcjUtm7v4hP80jh8mbwxIfvlqKudk
^^Hahaha! C’mon @nadline10, you gotta admit this will add oodles to Djokovic’s already sky-high confidence!
Poor Berdy………….
https://christinesturgeon.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/boring.gif
Oh dear……..
I guess that says, “try harder”……….
Love him or hate him, this is incredible. So glad Rafa is not at the receiving end! Djoko is in god mode today
You think Rafa will play as badly as Berdy? Please!!!!! What God mode if there is no challenge?
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.
C’mon Berdy, get a game!!!!!
Yeeeeeeeesssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss!!!!!!!!!!
Just wow!
#2,0