[5] R Soderling (SWE) vs [15] T Berdych (CZE)
Head-to-head: 4-3 (0-1 on clay)
Robin Soderling's quarterfinal victory over defending champion Roger Federer is the biggest story of the tournament so far. Not only did Soderling snap Federer's Grand Slam semifinal streak at 23, but he also prevented Federer from keeping the No. 1 ranking outright for at least the next couple of weeks, which would have been enough to eclipse Pete Sampras' all-time record weeks at No. 1.
Soderling's opponent is Tomas Berdych, whose best result this year is advancing to the final at the Miami Masters event by beating Soderling himself in the semis. This is Berdych's first semifinal appearance in a major.
[2] R Nadal (ESP) vs [22] J Melzer (AUT)
Head-to-head: 2-0 (1-0 on clay)
Rafael Nadal is two wins away from (1) a perfect clay-court season, (2) French Open title #5 and (3) regaining the #1 ranking. Sampras fans are rooting for Nadal to go all the way to preserve Pistol Pete's record weeks at No. 1, at least for the time being.
Nadal's opponent is fellow leftie Jurgen Melzer, who came back from two sets down to beat third seed Novak Djokovic in the quarters. Just like Berdych, this is Melzer's first semifinal appearance in a major.
No comments:
Post a Comment