French Open 2012 Results: Predictable Semifinal Matchups Favor Rafael Nadal

Rafael Nadal will face David Ferrer in one semifnal, and Novak Djokovic will take on Roger Federer in the other. No one can say they are surprised.

Nadal has been remarkably dominant throughout his run to the 2012 French Open’s final four, and there is no one left who will have the skill or the energy to stop his quest for a seventh title at Roland Garros. 

His semifinal opponent, Spain’s David Ferrer, has shown well thus far, beating No. 4 seed Andy Murray to reach this stage. Even though Murray was seeded higher than Ferrer (No. 6), this result was fairly predictable.

Ferrer usually performs well on clay and he is 21-4 on the surface in ATP World Tour and Grand Slam matches this year. Murray, on the other hand, is 5-3. In addition, the Scot had struggled with back issues throughout the tournament.

Now, Ferrer will face Nadal and spectators are likely in for another predictable result. The two compatriots have faced each other on clay twice in the last two months, and Nadal won in consecutive sets both times. In addition, this is the first time Ferrer has reached this stage of the French Open.

As for the other semifinal, this may end up being the marquee match of the tournament. The two faced off in the semifinal last year and treated the crowd at Roland Garros in to an epic match that Federer won in four sets.

Both have taken bumpy roads to get this far. Federer dropped the first two sets of his quarterfinal match against Juan Martin del Potro, but stormed back to win in five sets.

Djokovic has been pushed to a decisive fifth set in both of his last two matches, and was on the brink of elimination before pulling out a thrilling victory against Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the quarterfinals.

After working hard to stay alive in the tournament, both Federer and Djokovic will now have to play their most difficult match so far. The winner must still somehow have enough left in their legs to face Nadal, who will likely be in the finals. 

Fatigue, or lack of it in Nadal’s case, will almost certainly be a factor in the final match. As ESPN.com notes, Nadal has spent a total of 10 hours and 37 minutes on the court in his five victories at Roland Garros. By comparison, Djokovic has spent eight hours and 27 minutes in order to take care of just his last two opponents. 

The semifinal matchups could not be more favorable for the defending champion. Nadal will likely make quick work of Ferrer while Federer and Djokovic will ensure that the winner of their match will be exhausted for the final.

This will mean another dominant victory for Nadal at the French Open.