Shanghai QF previews and picks: Murray vs. Berdych, Djokovic vs. Tomic

A Shanghai quarterfinal lineup with a few surprises and plenty of intrigue will be highlighted on Friday. Among those in action are Andy Murray, Tomas Berdych, Novak Djokovic, and Bernard Tomic.

(3) Andy Murray vs. (5) Tomas Berdych

Murray and Berdych will be facing each other for the 13th time in their careers when they battle for a semifinal spot at the Shanghai Rolex Masters on Friday. Berdych once led the head-to-head series 3-1, 4-2, and 6-4, but Murray has leveled it at 6-6 thanks to a pair of 2015 victories. The second-ranked Scot won a heated Australian Open showdown 6-7(6), 6-0, 6-3, 7-5 before cruising 6-4, 6-4 in Miami. Murray has won six of their nine previous hard-court encounters.

Berdych appears to be rounding back into form after a mostly disappointing spring and summer. The fifth-ranked Czech lifted a winner’s trophy earlier this month in Shenzhen and so far in Shanghai he has taken out Jack Sock and Gilles Simon. Ranked 14th, Simon represented Berdych’s best scalp since upsetting then-No. 3 Rafael Nadal in Melbourne. Murray punched his ticket to the last eight by getting past Americans Steve Johnson and John Isner. The third seed is an incredible 16-2 lifetime at this event with two titles and a runner-up finish. All signs point to a Murray victory.

Pick: Murray in 2

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(1) Novak Djokovic vs. Bernard Tomic

Djokovic has been just about unbeatable this season and his career in Asia is no different. The world No. 1 recently improved to 29-0 lifetime in Beijing by capturing his sixth title at that event last week. He is now 21-3 in Shanghai with two titles and zero losses prior to the semifinals in five appearances. So far this week Djokovic has destroyed Martin Klizan and Feliciano Lopez, improving to 70-5 for his 2015 campaign.

Up next for the top seed is Tomic, who is 0-4 lifetime in the head-to-head series. They played a close one at Wimbledon in 2011 but since then it has been absolute one-way traffic–including a 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 beatdown at the All-England Club this summer. Still, Tomic has been playing surprisingly inspired tennis of late and he is wrapping up his best season on tour. The 23-year-old Aussie is up to 20th in the world and will reach at least No. 18 next week. Tomic advanced to Shanghai quarters by defeating Fernando Verdasco, David Ferrer, and Richard Gasquet. His match against the Frenchman was impressive to say the least, but a two-hour and 13-minute struggle one day before meeting Djokovic will not help.

Pick: Djokovic in 2 losing 5-7 games

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