 Nadal will meet Berdych in Wimbledon final
2010-07-02 15:02:00
Wimbledon, England (Sports Network) - Former champion Rafael Nadal straight- setted British hopeful Andy Murray, while Czech Tomas Berdych upended third- seeded Serbian star Novak Djokovic in Friday's semifinals at The Championships, Wimbledon. The second-seeded Nadal will battle the 12th-seeded Berdych in the lucrative championship match here on Sunday, as Berdych will play in his first-ever major final.
In the most-anticipated match of the fortnight, the world No. 1 Nadal handled the fourth-seeded Murray 6-4, 7-6 (8-6), 6-4 on Centre Court, as Murray failed in his attempt to give Britain its first male finalist here in 72 years (Bunny Austin). Instead, he came up a semifinal loser here for a second straight year.
"For Andy it was important playing at home in Wimbledon," Nadal said. "That was a little bit more pressure than usual. But Andy's a very, very nice person and a very, very nice guy and I wish him the best of luck."
Nadal got the key service break he needed in the opening set to go up 5-4 against Murray, and then held his underrated serve to secure the stanza.
In the second set, things were tight enough to head into a crucial tiebreak, for Murray, who blew a set point, leading 6-5 in the extra session, when Nadal landed a backhand volley winner. The Spaniard would ultimately close out the tiebreak with an unreturnable forehand.
Murray opened the third set by breaking Nadal at love and consolidated the rare break with a hold, but the Spaniard was unfazed, as he replied with a pair of breaks in the stanza to move on in straights.
The mighty Nadal won the last four games of the match, as be broke Murray to level the third at 4-all when the Brit netted an easy forehand, and broke again two games later when Murray sailed a forehand volley just beyond the baseline to seal the deal in 2 hours, 22 minutes.
Nadal broke Murray's serve three times all told, while the Brit settled for only one break in the setback. Murray struck six more winners (37-31), including 11 more aces (15-4), but Nadal was able to come out on top on the biggest points on Day 11.
"Very, very good match for me," Nadal said. "To beat Andy you have to play your best tennis always. He's a big challenge to play against. For me it's amazing victory against one of the toughest opponents in the world."
The 24-year-old Nadal is now 8-3 lifetime against the 23-year-old Murray. The Spaniard beat the Brit in the quarterfinals here in 2008, the year Nadal went on to beat Roger Federer in that remarkable final to claim his lone Wimbledon championship.
The Dunblane, Scotland native Murray beat Nadal in their last meeting, the quarterfinals at this year's Australian Open.
Nadal is now 3-2 in their career Grand Slam matchups.
The high-flying seven-time major titlist Nadal has won 30 of his last 31 matches on tour, including a fifth French Open title four weeks ago.
Nadal lost to Federer in the 2006 and 2007 Wimbledon finales, titled here two years ago, and missed Wimbledon 2009 because of knee injuries, which means he's reached the final in his last four trips to the All England Club.
The magnificent Mallorcan is seeded second here despite holding the No. 1 ranking.
The two-time Grand Slam runner-up Murray appeared in his fourth career major semifinal (2-2). The 2010 Aussie Open runner-up to Federer was hoping to give the Brits their first male Wimbledon champ in 74 years (Fred Perry).
Nadal will now perform in his 10th Grand Slam final (7-2). He's 1-2 in his Wimbledon finals, all against Federer, and has won his last 13 matches at the All England Club.
The clutch Spaniard will appear in his 53rd career final, seeking a 41st title. He's 4-1 in his 2010 title tilts, with one major title and three ATP Masters championships.
Meanwhile, Berdych ousted the former Australian Open champion Djokovic 6-3, 7-6 (11-9), 6-3 on Centre Court. Djokovic was also a semifinal loser on the grass here three years ago.
The 6-foot-4 Berdych stunned the defending champion and six-time Wimbledon winner Federer in four sets here on Wednesday.
Berdych captured the first set rather easily on Day 11 before Djokovic fought back in the 70-minute second. The Serbian star, however, was unable to get back into the match by taking the second-set tiebreak and smashed his racquet after dropping the crucial stanza.
The third set was all Berdych, who broke Djokovic to grab a 5-3 lead when Djokovic, who was back on his heels throughout the match, came up with an untimely double fault, his eighth of the day.
Berdych, who simply crushed the tennis ball all day on Friday, set-up his first match point with a huge forehand winner, and wound up converting on his second match point by launching an unreturnable serve after 2 hours, 18 minutes of tennis.
"The feeling is absolutely amazing. It is really tough to describe," Berdych said. "Every young kid, from the first time he hits the ball and thinks to be a tennis player, this is the dream to be in the final of any Grand Slam. This is definitely the biggest tournament for me."
The talented Berdych fired 11 aces among his 34 winners and broke Djokovic's serve three times, compared to only one break for the Serbian loser.
"He's just a better player today on the court," Djokovic said. "When I had the opportunities, I didn't use them. In important moments I served some double faults. I was a little bit unfortunate in some points. But definitely didn't take my chances and he used it, so he deserved to win."
Berdych, who has now won 14 of his last 15 matches, was a semifinal loser at the French Open four weeks ago. He's into his first major final, playing in his 27th Grand Slam event.
The 23-year-old Djokovic appeared in his eight career major semi (2-6). He was the Aussie Open champ in 2008 and reached the Wimbledon final four in 2007, but was forced to retire against Nadal due to a foot injury while trailing in the third set that day.
The 24-year-old Berdych will appear in his 11th career ATP-level final, seeking a sixth title. The world No. 13 was a runner-up to Andy Roddick at this year's Miami Masters event and hasn't titled since running the table at a tournament in Munich last season.
The last Czech player to reach the Wimbledon final was the great Ivan Lendl in 1987. The lone male Czech titlist here was Jan Kodes back in 1973.
Nadal and Berdych will meet for an 11th time, with the powerful Spaniard holding a 7-3 lead in their lifetime series. Nadal beat Berdych at Indian Wells earlier this season and has won six straight in the series. Nadal beat Berdych in the Wimbledon quarters back in 2007.
"I played against him in the quarters in 2007, he's always a difficult opponent," Nadal said. "Big serve, very flat and powerful shots from the baseline. It will be very difficult."
Sunday's winner will pocket $1.5 million.
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