The second name in that title would come as a shock to you, were it not for the fact that anyone liable to be reading this already knows about the outcome of yesterday's second US Open semifinal. With his gripping upset of Roger Federer yesterday afternoon, Novak Djokovic has completed a truly inspiring run to his second final in New York: lucky to escape the first round after trailing two sets to one and a break against compatriot Viktor Troicki, Djokovic saw a swift reversal in form carry him through to the semis, where he found himself faced with the one obstacle he had found himself unable to overcome since his rise to prominence at the Open. By virtue of an uncommon display of nerve and poise under pressure- even in the face of two match points against him- along with strangely erratic play from Federer's end, Djokovic was able to spoil the much anticipated Federer-Nadal Sunday showdown and claim a place in his own first Grand Slam final appearance in over two-and-a-half years.
Standing in his way is world's #1 Rafael Nadal, whose dominance at this event thus far has been truly imposing. Nadal has secured his berth into the final without the loss of a single set, and has only lost serve twice through six rounds of action. "Invincible" does not seem a terribly hyperbolic adjective if one is looking to describe the way Nadal has often looked of late.
That said, if I may engage in a bit of devilish advocacy, it seems to me that Nadal has benefited from a favorable draw to this point in the event, in that he has not had to face a top-tier opponent to reach the final, and has gone through a line-up of foes against whom he had fairly dominant head-to-head histories. Moreover, Djokovic does hold a 7-3 historical head-to-head advantage over Nadal on hard-courts, including the last three. Nevertheless, Nadal is in far better form than he was when last they met, should be the fresher of the two for the final and has generally come through better than Djokovic has on the biggest stages throughout their careers thus far.
I forecast a Nadal victory in four close sets.
September 12, 2010
September 11, 2010
Back from hiatus...
Hello, prospective readers,
Before launching into discussion of current events, I will launder out a brief list of excuses for my recent substantial absence from posting on this blog:
1. The outcome of the Cincinnati semifinals was crushing enough (both of my rooting interests falling, with Roddick losing from a set-and-break up after serving for the match) that I felt more inclined to sulk than to write further updates on the tournament at the time.
2. The start of my fall schooling shortly thereafter, along with a job interview with the Lewiston Tribune, served to divert my attention such that I continually failed to get another good update together.
3. Further disappointment, with both Baghdatis and Roddick falling in the first two rounds of the US Open, left me once more inclined to sulk rather than write.
However, more exciting developments have roused me from my proverbial slumber, as the US Open semifinals prepare to commence. Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have each put forward a tremendous showing thus far in the event, neither man dropping a set and both compiling highlight reels worthy of many a player's full season. A Nadal-Federer US Open final, the historical significance of which would be mind-blowing, now appears probable, though both men have sturdy hurdles to overcome today, in the form of Mikhail Youzhny and Novak Djokovic respectively.
I will admit that I have, for most of this US hard-court swing, been a skeptic of the media narrative which cast Nadal as favorite for the Open, given his relatively unimpressive record therein and less-than-astonishing showings in the lead-up events, but Nadal has changed the equation this year in dramatic fashion through a serving display of the kind few would have thought him capable. Prior to this tournament, I do not believe I had ever seen Nadal's serve break 130 miles per hour on a speed gun; this US Open, he has regularly exceeded that benchmark, topping out at around 135. Of all the strokes in Nadal's repertoire, the serve has historically been his least impressive, perhaps the only one which was subpar for an elite-level player. Now, it appears, that one chink in his armor has been erased. Nadal is faced with a historically difficult foe in Youzhny, who has beaten him four times in their eleven previous meetings, including once at this tournament, and holds a 4-3 edge on hard-courts, but I feel confident nevertheless in predicting a Nadal victory in three or four sets.
Meanwhile, Roger Federer's run to this year's US Open semifinals has hearkened back to his peak heyday moreso than any he has put together in quite some time. He has played clean, confident and assertive tennis set-in and set-out through four consecutive matches to reach the semifinals of a Slam without dropping a set for the first time since Wimbledon 2008. He faces a familiar foe in Djokovic, who he has defeated in the finals or semifinals of the last three US Opens. Djokovic was extremely lucky this year to escape defeat in the opening round, rallying from a deficit of two sets to one and a break in the fourth against compatriot Viktor Troicki, but he has since found his own form and confidence and has looked very impressive in his last two matches, dispatching Mardy Fish and Gael Monfils in one-sided three-set affairs. Of the two semifinal underdogs, I would give Djokovic a stronger chance at upsetting the applecart that is the anticipated Federer-Nadal Sunday clash, but this, too, must be seen as doubtful.
Before launching into discussion of current events, I will launder out a brief list of excuses for my recent substantial absence from posting on this blog:
1. The outcome of the Cincinnati semifinals was crushing enough (both of my rooting interests falling, with Roddick losing from a set-and-break up after serving for the match) that I felt more inclined to sulk than to write further updates on the tournament at the time.
2. The start of my fall schooling shortly thereafter, along with a job interview with the Lewiston Tribune, served to divert my attention such that I continually failed to get another good update together.
3. Further disappointment, with both Baghdatis and Roddick falling in the first two rounds of the US Open, left me once more inclined to sulk rather than write.
However, more exciting developments have roused me from my proverbial slumber, as the US Open semifinals prepare to commence. Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have each put forward a tremendous showing thus far in the event, neither man dropping a set and both compiling highlight reels worthy of many a player's full season. A Nadal-Federer US Open final, the historical significance of which would be mind-blowing, now appears probable, though both men have sturdy hurdles to overcome today, in the form of Mikhail Youzhny and Novak Djokovic respectively.
I will admit that I have, for most of this US hard-court swing, been a skeptic of the media narrative which cast Nadal as favorite for the Open, given his relatively unimpressive record therein and less-than-astonishing showings in the lead-up events, but Nadal has changed the equation this year in dramatic fashion through a serving display of the kind few would have thought him capable. Prior to this tournament, I do not believe I had ever seen Nadal's serve break 130 miles per hour on a speed gun; this US Open, he has regularly exceeded that benchmark, topping out at around 135. Of all the strokes in Nadal's repertoire, the serve has historically been his least impressive, perhaps the only one which was subpar for an elite-level player. Now, it appears, that one chink in his armor has been erased. Nadal is faced with a historically difficult foe in Youzhny, who has beaten him four times in their eleven previous meetings, including once at this tournament, and holds a 4-3 edge on hard-courts, but I feel confident nevertheless in predicting a Nadal victory in three or four sets.
Meanwhile, Roger Federer's run to this year's US Open semifinals has hearkened back to his peak heyday moreso than any he has put together in quite some time. He has played clean, confident and assertive tennis set-in and set-out through four consecutive matches to reach the semifinals of a Slam without dropping a set for the first time since Wimbledon 2008. He faces a familiar foe in Djokovic, who he has defeated in the finals or semifinals of the last three US Opens. Djokovic was extremely lucky this year to escape defeat in the opening round, rallying from a deficit of two sets to one and a break in the fourth against compatriot Viktor Troicki, but he has since found his own form and confidence and has looked very impressive in his last two matches, dispatching Mardy Fish and Gael Monfils in one-sided three-set affairs. Of the two semifinal underdogs, I would give Djokovic a stronger chance at upsetting the applecart that is the anticipated Federer-Nadal Sunday clash, but this, too, must be seen as doubtful.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
