Shanghai Rolex Masters: Djokovic to play Andy Murray in semi-final, Nadal and Tsonga through
Three of tennis’ Big Four are through to the semi-finals of the Shanghai Masters, an ATP 1000 event, after defeating their respective opponents in the Chinese city today.
3rd seeded Andy Murray, who recently dethroned Roger Federer as World No. 2, beat his 5th seeded competitor Tomas Berdych in straight sets. Winning 6-1, 6-3, he moved comfortably to the semi-finals of the Open.
Murray thoroughly routed Berdych, hitting 8 aces in the match, with Berdych able to muster 3. Murray won 28/32 of his first serves, holding the upper hand all through the match.
Although Murray is the superior-ranked of the two, the pair are relatively evenly matched, having met 12 times, with each of the pair taking 6 victories.
They have met twice this year prior to the Shanghai Masters – one of which was a Grand Slam. Murray took victories at both – the Miami Masters and the Australian Open, the former of which he won in straight sets.
Eighth seed Rafael Nadal, who has found flagging form lately, upset a strong competitor – 4th seed Stan Wawrinka, whom he demolished in straight sets, 6-2, 6-1 to move to the semis of the Open.
Nadal, who has outclassed Wawrinka in 12 of the pair’s 14 meetings – with an 85.7% success record against the higher-ranked Swiss, committed two double faults in the match to Wawrinka’s 3, winning 8 of his service games. Wawrinka hit three aces in the match to Nadal’s one, but was still routed by the Spaniard.
The pair’s last meeting prior to this had been at another ATP1000 event this year – the Rome Masters – a clay surface, where Wawrinka had taken the win 7-6, 6-2.
Top seed Novak Djokovic beat Bernard Tomic to also be part of the semi-final proceedings, but it was not all smooth sailing for the World No. 1, who faced stiff opposition from the Australian. in the first set. The Czech ace edged out Tomic 7-6, then made short work of him in the second set, taking it 6-1, and with it the match.
Djokovic hit 10 aces to his competitor’s 6, committing only a single double fault in the entire match. This was the Czech’s 4th victory against the Australian in as many matches.
Roger Federer, meanwhile, crashed out of the tournament yesterday following a shock defeat by unseeded Spaniard Albert Ramos-Vinolas.
Djokovic will play Murray tomorrow in the semi-final, and it is likely he will take the win; the Czech has beat the Scot in 19 of their 28 meetings so far, although Murray won their last meeting, which was a title fight at the Montreal Masters.
Nadal is drawn to play tall Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who beat big-serving South African Kevin Anderson 7-6, 5-7, 6-4 in the pair’s quarterfinal meeting.