Shanghai Semifinals Are Set!

Written by: Staff on 13th October 2012

Davis Cup World Group play-off between the Netherlands and Switzerland

Shanghai Semifinals Are Set!

epa03397587 Swiss tennis player Roger Federer in action against Dutch tennis player Thiemo de Bakker during the Davis Cup World Group play-off match between the Netherlands and Switzerland in Amsterdam, Netherlands, 14 September 2012. EPA/TOUSSAINT KLUITERS |

We’re coming to the business end of the Shanghai Masters and one thing is clear at this event, the veterans of our sport reign. World #1 Roger Federer has had many successes in Shanghai in the past and he looks to continue his winning ways again. On his heels is Novak Djokovic, a merciless competitor who’s looking better and better with each match. Andy Murray is the fiery and confusing champion, one minute beating all comers and the next whining like an immature junior. Tomas Berdych, possessing titanic power from the baseline, is no stranger to the top 10 and on a fast court he is the most dangerous threat to the top 4. These four men look to further solidify their year with another 1000 crown…

Federer dispatched #10 seed Marin Cilic in a match that was part-practice session, part-scare. Picking up where he left off after his match with Warwrinka, Federer used his unsurpassed footwork to fly past Cilic in the first set. It’s almost like he’s wears Hermes’ winged shoes the way he zips in and out of the baseline. But back to the match at hand. It was vintage fun house material as Federer used slice serves and whipping forehands to keep Cilic off balance and missing often. In the final moments however, Federer squandered a 5-2 lead. It woke him up just enough to kick him into full consciousness and break Cilic for the match. Can he produce his best stuff against Murray?

Murray had a separate route to the semifinals. His three set tussle with former top 10 player Radek Stepanek was truly the best quarterfinal match of the day. Stepanek played a near perfect match until Murray sunk his teeth into one too many return of serves and passing shots. It’s amazing that Stepanek is still able to play his classic style deep into his career; His serve has gotten better with time and he’s figured out a way to chip away at all the heavy baseliners of the sport. Murray and Fed will have an incredible match in the semis because Murray will realize early on that he must stay mentally fit if he wants to win. If he’s lucky, he might get some errors from Federer early, but it will come down to who is more aggressive and can take the ball earlier. Federer’s inside-out/in forehand vs Murray’s movement.

The other semi features Djokovic and Berdych. Djokovic was merciless against veteran Tommy Haas. While Haas has been playing superbly this week, he met with a younger and more powerful opponent in the quarters. Djokovic was doing things with his forehand that were scary, causing Haas to go into “this is a joke” mode after some rallies. Will Berdych succumb to the same fate? Berdych seemed undeterred by Tsonga’s antics in their quarterfinal. Whether Tsonga was off or truly feeling the effects of a hip injury, Berdych’s power left him no time at all to play to the best of his ability. It’ll be an insanely fast match between Djoko and Berdych in terms of pace of the ball and should be a lot of fun to watch. Get some popcorn and enjoy the semis!

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