Novak Djokovic and Stan Wawrinka will renew their rivalry on Saturday in Paris. Andy Murray and David Ferrer are also aiming for a place in the title match.
(1) Novak Djokovic vs. (4) Stan Wawrinka
Djokovic and Wawrinka will be facing each other for the 23rd time in their careers and for the fourth time this season when they clash in the semifinals of the BNP Paribas Masters on Saturday. The head-to-head series stands at 18-4 in favor of Djokovic, but the rivalry has heated up nicely dating back to a 2013 Australian Open epic won by the Serb 12-10 in the fifth. Wawrinka upset Djokovic the next year Down Under and again in the French Open final this spring. They most recently squared off a few months ago at the Cincinnati Masters, where Djokovic coasted 6-4, 6-1.
Aiming for his third consecutive Paris title, the world No. 1 has defeated Thomaz Bellucci, Gilles Simon, and Tomas Berdych in straight sets. He did not break Berdych a single time but got the job done in two tiebreakers. Wawrinka beat Bernard Tomic and Viktor Troicki before also advancing in a pair of ‘breakers when he outlasted Rafael Nadal 7-6(8), 7-6(7) on Friday night. A quick turnaround following an extended struggle will not help the Swiss in advance of a showdown with by far the world’s best player right now.
Pick: Djokovic in 2 with no tiebreakers
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(8) David Ferrer vs. (2) Andy Murray
The other semifinal also features two players who are heading to the World Tour Finals later this month. Murray secured the No. 2 seed in London when Roger Federer lost to John Isner during third-round action in Paris. As for Murray’s own exploits this week, he is showing impressive determination despite likely having his focus deterred by both the year-end championship and the upcoming Davis Cup final between Great Britain and Belgium. The third-ranked Scot has improved to 67-11 for the season following victories this week over Borna Coric, David Goffin, and Richard Gasquet.
Although he missed several months of action this summer due to an elbow injury, Ferrer will be no worse than the seventh seed in London and could climb as high as No. 5. The eighth-ranked Spaniard’s fall swing includes titles in Kuala Lumpur and Vienna and so far in Paris he has taken out Alexandr Dolgopolov, Grigor Dimitrov, and John Isner. Ferrer survived tough three-setters against both Dimitrov and Isner, whereas Murray clobbered Coric and Goffin before going three with Gasquet. This is not a great matchup for the 33-year-old, who is a decent 6-10 in the head-to-head series but a mere 2-8 on hard courts. Murray can retrieve just as well as his opponent while also showcasing far superior firepower. He can hit through this particular court; Ferrer cannot.
Pick: Murray in 2
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I feel so much better now that Stan.has had his behind whipped.
Do tell @nadline10!!!
What? Why? U wanted Novak to win just because Stan beat Rafa?! That was honestly disappointing. I thought Stan could at least compete in the third. He just threw in the towel after the slow start to the third.
I didn’t want either of them to win, actually. Had Stan seen the bagel in the oven I doubt he would have been so keen on beating Rafa yesterday
Benny,
Not all of us feel that way. Don’t get upset. I just think that Stan isn’t playing his best right now. That’s what it takes for him to beat Novak, as he did at RG. Not playing his best, combined with having that tough match against Rafa ending in the wee hours of the morning is what caused this result.
Oh yes, if only Stan had done the right thing and tanked against Rafa last night! Then he would have beaten Novak or avoided the breadstick. Really?
I am not so bitter about Rafa’s loss that I have to gloat over Stan getting bread sticked in the third set. He did well to take a set off Novak. If he was at his best, then I think the result might well be different. We know that Stan has the game to give Novak trouble.
Don’t worry about your guy! He just needs a bit of rest! 🙂
Thx NNY. I’m not too upset about result I mean Novak is champion and deserves it. I just didn’t get how nadline was like thankfully Stan got destroyed (which he actually didn’t) cuz for me I usually root for the guy who beats my favorite player to go on and win the title or make a run. Anyways what’s everyone’s thoughts on Murray djokovic tomorrow?
Wonderful match for two sets. Set Streak broken but 14 finals is a record I believe.
Benny,
Yes, let’s move forward to the final! I would like to think that Murray can beat Novak. He’s been looking good this week. I am not ready to make a prediction just yet. I want to think about it a bit more. But it’s really hard to see Novak losing.
Rafa made 14 finals in 2013 too. So Novak is not the only one.
Why do some Rafans forget Rafas own records?
Its just that Rafa had some 250s there too in finals which Novak does not.
Novak has 500s though and ironically only managed a QF at a 250 event. I agree, Rafa’s 2013 was impressive too; the 14 finals were not consecutive but impressive nonetheless, and he managed another four finals right up to Miami 2014.
Novak is setting records left and right. Well done to Stan for at least making a match of it for two sets. He had every reason to fold, but held on to at least push Novak to three sets.
He played certainly better than I thought he would. Taking that set was a reminder of what he can do against the dominant player in the world when he’s on his game.
Stan played better than I thought he would taking the second set and reminding us all what he is capable of against the most dominant player in the world.
Like Rafa however, indoors just isn’t his forte.
Indoor tennis should be banned.
Benny, we all react differently. I don’t want to see anyone who beats Rafa progress and if I did it would be futile because they generally go on to lose, which suits me.
novak in 3 sets..he will not lose.
can’t knock stan just because he beat rafa man..he has the best one-handed back hand in the sport and maybe even back hand in general along with fed and gasquet @nadaline
rafa has been improving his game the last few weeks and could not come thru this time..although I do not feel he’s win a major he will compete as always.
Djoker over Murray in 3
(oh and Venus wins too)
Murray over Djoker in 2
Go Stan, you’ll get him next time.
Djoker has turned into the Terminator, somebody please stop him!
After Stan beat Djoko at RG, I liked him a lot better than I did when he beat Rafa at AO. One, because it proved the win at AO was probably deserved. Two, he stopped Djoko from the calendar slam!!! Vamos Stan!!!
My heart says Muzz,my brain says Djoko. In any case, chances of Muzz stopping Djoko here in Paris are higher than at WTF where Muzz may tank.
^^he,he. +1
Nole in straight sets for the final, he´ll come out in set 1 as he did in set 3 vs Waw. Im sorry I don’t think Andy can match his tempo, Novak is just the next level athlete. Murray and djoko are both well rounded players, you cant beat him at his own game. The only players that will challenge him now are the ones with a niché like Karlovic, Fed and Waw.
and Isner
Test
I posted my prediction on another topic thread, but will repost it here where people are also making predictions about the final. I decided to go with Novak in 2 sets. I have picked Murray in the past and been wrong. The one time Murray beat Novak was at Montreal, but I don’t see a repeat of that. Novak is just playing too well at the moment.