Berdych couldn't sustain his attack.
MELBOURNE - Rafael Nadal survived Tomas Berdych 6-7(5), 7-6 (6) 6-4 6-3 in four hours and 16 minutes and will get the opportunity to face his great rival Roger Federer, whom he has not faced in the semifinals of a major since 2005 Roland Garros – a win for the Spaniard. Nadal played a very nervous first two sets against the attacking Czech and was lucky to get out of the second set breaker, but once he reached the third set he began to take more risks on his returns and groundstrokes. Berdych ate Nadal’s second serves alive in the first two sets and dictated the action but muffed some key chances in the tiebreaker.
The last time Nadal and Federer played at the Australian Open was in 2010 in the final, when Nadal took a dramatic 7-5, 3-6, 7-6 (3), 3-6, 6-2 victory. Nadal soaked in the applause while later, when accepting the runner-up trophy, Federer cried a good three minutes and then cried again going into the locker room. “God, it’s killing me,” he said to the crowd in a now famous line.
Nadal owns a 17-9 record Federer. Last year Nadal took him out in the Roland Garros final, but Federer overwhelmed him in the ATP Championships on a fast indoor court.
“I’d like to play Rafa because of our great epic match earlier in the finals here a few years ago,” said Federer after he thrashed an underwhelming Juan Martin Del Potro.
Due to her 6-3, 7-6 (4) defeat to Kim Clijsters, Caroline Wozniacki lost her No. 1 ranking on Tuesday in a moment that seemed inevitable. The Dane should be lauded for making a strong push in the second set when down 5-2, but in the tiebreaker, the 29-year-old Belgian cracked three straight winners to win the contest while Wozniacki fleet feet melted on the hot court.
So now the longest run of a Slam–less No. 1 (67 weeks) is over. Wozniacki has been a very good player for the two and a half years or so and she clearly has improved, but she’s still an immature competitor and needs to improve a good deal if she going to, she says “get [no. 1] back eventually, so I’m not worried.”
She should be a little worried,, as should her camp. No one needs to panic, but if she is being a little too stubborn and often times does not seem to understand why she is being outclassed. Playing standout defense is one thing, but if you are facing a four-time Grand Slam champion who can actually hit winners, at least on occasion, you have to show her you can do it, too. Wozniacki did that on occasion, but certainly not enough, as she ended the contest with only 13 winners to 39 form Clijsters on a scorcher of a day.
Here’s what Clijsters, who came into contest with a twisted ankle, said: “She’s a fighter. She is so consistent and you have to be an aggressive player if you want to beat her. If you’re not going to go for winners and don’t feel confident and don’t feel like you’re playing at your highest level, then she will just rally you until you just make mistakes. That’s what makes her so good.”
It’s often forgotten that after Clijsters first became No. 1 in early August of 2003 that it took her slightly more than two years for her to win her first Slam at the 2005 US Open. She was not even close to the same offensive player in 2003 that she is now and while her forehand has always had more pop than Wozniacki’s, she won many of her matches with her strong legs. Even though Clijsters only held the top spot for 12 weeks during that period, the Belgian faced some of the criticism that Wozniacki is today, that she just wasn’t tough enough to best the elite players at the majors. Recall her three set loss to her archrival Justine Henin at the 2004 Aussie Open? Every analyst worth his or her weight opened that Justine has more weapons overall and a real killer instinct, which the ever smiling Clijsters did not.
So now here is Wozniacki, with a rock solid counterpuncher’s game and world-class backhand and only one Grand Slam final appearance to her name, a loss to none other than Clijsters at the 2009 US Open. She’ll no longer have to hear about her ranking being phony, but she will face questioning about why she lost it. It’s seems like a can’t-win situation, but Clijsters did end up getting herself out of it by putting her nose to the grindstone. That’s all that Caro can do.
“She’s worked very hard to get to where she is, and she’s one of ‘the’ most consistent players, “Clijsters said. “I remember people are almost in a way almost blaming her for it. I think that’s something that is really absurd. I think she’s great for the game. She’s a great player. Works extremely hard. She has really good people around her w tell her to not listen to all that stuff that’s being said in the media room or around her. It took me a couple years; it’s taken other people, a while as well, so I think it’s all a matter of experience and improving, definitely improving and trying to learn from losses and become better every Slam. Then she will definitely get there.”
Three women now have a chance to grab the top spot: No. 3 Victoria Azarenka, who will face Clijsters; No. 2 Petra Kvitova, will play Sarah Errani; and No. 4 Maria Sharapova, who will play Ekaterina Makarova.
Victoria Azarenka is on fire and hit through Agnieszka Radwanska 6‑7, 6‑0, 6‑2, She has a 2-4 record vs. Clijsters but she does have the power to take her out. But does she have the head and heart?
QUOTE OF THE DAY
Roger Federer: “I see many women’s players being extremely sort of tense and fist pumping after every single point. It’s pretty surprising to see that I have fist pumped maybe five times at the most, and they do that in one game.”
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