Nadal grinds down Blake

Rafael Nadal will meet Tomas Berdych in the first of the semi-finals.

Nadal defeated James Blake for the second time in a week (3-6 6-3 6-1) to make it through to his second straight Masters Series semi. The American looked to have Rafa’s number in the first set, playing some scintilating tennis.

But, almost with a sense of inevitability about it, he could not keep to that level, and the Spaniard gradually wore him down. By the final few games of the third set, Blake looked as though he had fought, and lost, a war on the court; he simply had nothing left to fight Nadal with.

Tomas Berdych had a much simpler path through, as he defeated Russian Igor Andreev 6-4 6-4. Berdych, who is yet to drop a set in Miami this week, has made himself the first Czech player since 1993 to make it to the semi-finals. He only needed two break points, one in each set, to make the match a formality, and make light of a potentially dangerous opponent in Andreev.

However big match composure is something that many critics have felt Berdych is lacking in, and that could be his downfall against a player as tough as Nadal.

He has a respectable 3-3 lifetime record with the Spaniard however, and will go into this match believing he has every chance of making the final, even if nobody else does!

Miami Masters update – Quarter Finals

As we move into the business end of this years Miami Masters, the smart money now has to be on Roger Federer to take his first title of the season.

The world No.1 has complained of glandular fever earlier this year, but it looks now as if he has shaken that off, and has not dropped a set in progressing to the quarter finals.

He is set to meet Andy Roddick, and holds a devesating 15-1 head-to-head advantage over the American. I can see Roddick putting up a courageuos fight in front of a home crowd, but I can only see Federer walking out of court no. 1 victorious.

In the second quarter, Nikolay Davydenko takes on Janko Tipsarevic, in their second career meeting (Davydenko won the first comfortably). The 23 year-old Tipsarevic is currently most famous for losing to Roger Federer in five gruelling sets at the Australian Open this year, which definetly did not help the Swiss player when he came up tired against Djokovic later on.

Tipsarevic has been playing perhaps career best tennis here this week, but I do not think it will be enough against Davydenko, who has also come back strongly in Miami following disappointing recent results.

Tomas Berdych plays Igor Andreev in the next quarter final; the two have never played on the main tour, but Andreev leads 4-0 in their meetings in ‘Futures’ tournaments. Andreev was named ‘Comeback Player of the Year’ for last season, and is now ranked 32nd in the world, but I feel that Berdych, who has found his form this week, will have too much firepower off the ground for him to handle.

In the final and most eagerly anticipated quarter, Rafael Nadal takes on James Blake. Nadal acheived his first career win over Blake last week at Indian Wells, and will be hoping to repeat the magic here in Miami. Blake however has his pride at stake, he will not want to be beaten two weeks running in front of home fans, by the same opponent, even one so tough as Nadal.