Australian Open Semi-Finals Preview: Federer and Nadal Set For a Finals Showdown
We're down to the final four of the 2009 Australian Open Men's Tennis Championship.
Whilst the top two seeds in Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer remain in contention for the title, the other two spots have been filled with what can only be regarded as surprising candidates: seventh seed and former world number one Andy Roddick—who has not made a Grand Slam semi-finals appearance since 2007—and 14th Seed Fernando Verdasco, whose previous best performance at a Grand Slam was reaching the fourth round.
Do the two underdogs in Roddick and Verdasco have what it takes to prevent a seemingly inevitable Federer vs Nadal final?
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Or are we set to witness yet another epic showdown between tennis' two greatest current competitors?
Roger Federer
Three-time Australian Open winner Roger Federer will be looking to go one step closer to winning title number four at Melbourne and beginning 2009 on a strong note when he faces his former arch-rival Andy Roddick in a semi-finals showdown.
After a five set scare in the fourth round, Federer silenced all critics with an absolutely stunning quarterfinals display. Needing only 80 minutes and dropping only three games in the entire match, the world No. 2 absolutely annihilated 8th seed Juan Martin del Potro in a performance that would put fear in any of the Swiss champion's upcoming opponents.
In the match, we witnessed more than just a glimpse of the brilliance that had seemingly eluded Federer for some time. If the former world No. 1 continues displaying such form, it will be interesting to see if anyone, including Rafael Nadal, will have what it takes to stop Federer from claiming his 14th Grand Slam title.
Andy Roddick
This match will be seventh seed Andy Roddick's first semifinals appearance at a Grand Slam since 2007—where, incidentally, he got beat by Roger Federer in three sets.
The 26-year-old American will undoubtedly be hoping to be spared of a similar fate in his upcoming match, but with Federer currently in sublime form, a one-sided score looks to be on the cards.
Roddick has started off 2009 strong, making the final at the Qatar Open in Doha and now the semifinals in Melbourne, after an impressive string of results. The former world No. 1 dodged a potential bullet when his quarterfinal opponent Novak Djokovic retired in the fourth set of their match—but to the American's credit, he was already leading two sets to one at the time.
Roddick has never made it beyond the semifinals at the Australian Open, so he will be hoping to beat his own previous best performance when he takes on Federer.
Conclusion
Federer holds a massive 16-3 record against Roddick in ATP Tournaments, and all signs point to Federer making it win No. 17 in this match.
Roddick's fast-serving, big-hitting game doesn't look like it will be able to come close to matching Federer's current impressive form. The 27-year-old Swiss champion looks poised for yet another Grand Slam final appearance.
Prediction: Federer in straight sets
Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal will be looking to make his first-ever Australian Open final when he takes on fellow Spaniard Fernando Verdasco in this semifinal encounter. The world No. 1 has stormed to the semifinals in a brilliant fashion, having yet to drop a single set in the tournament.
2008 was Nadal's best year yet—he won the French Open and Wimbledon along with eight other ATP titles, as well as claiming the world No. 1 spot for the first time in his career. The 22-year-old will be looking to take his record-breaking career to even greater heights by beating his current best performance at the Australian Open, which was a semifinals appearance in 2008.
Fernando Verdasco
14th Seed Fernando Verdasco has undoubtedly been the biggest surprise of the Australian Open so far, defeating fourth seed and major tournament favourite Andy Murray in an epic five set encounter in the fourth round.
The Spaniard then followed this up with an impressive four set victory in the quarterfinals against last year's finalist, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
Verdasco's previous best performance in a Grand Slam was the fourth round, and he had never made it beyond the 2nd Round at the Australian Open prior to this year. With one of the best forehands on the tour, the 25-year-old will be hoping to put up a fight against the seemingly unstoppable Nadal.
Conclusion
Nadal currently holds a 7-0 record against Verdasco, and it looks as if the result of this match will be no different from the previous seven.
In spite of Verdasco's extremely impressive performance in Melbourne so far, it looks as if the only person who will be able to really test Rafael Nadal at this year's Australian Open will be Roger Federer.
Prediction: Nadal in straight sets
Go to SportsBettingReview.co.uk for betting odds and previews for all the remaining matches of the Australian Open 2009 from the best online bookmakers who offer the biggest free bets.
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