ATP World Tour Finals 2010 - Preview: Rafael Nadal versus Andy Murray
Four of the top five players on the ATP tour will be in action on the Centre Court at the O2 Arena on Saturday to play the semi final round of 2010 Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London.
In the opening match of the day, the top seed Rafael Nadal will take on Andy Murray of Scotland. The Spaniard leads the pair’s overall head to head series at 8-4. Both of them are attempting to advance into their first final at the season finale.
The 24-year-old Nadal is playing in the semi final round at the prestigious event on the third occasion in his career. The left hander made his way into the final four stage after getting the better of Tomas Berdych from Czech Republic in two sets on Friday.
The final match score was 7-6, (3) 6-1.
Rafa opened his account in the elite eight man field by posting a three setter hard fought victory against Andy Roddick on Monday with a score line of 3-6, 7-6,(5) 6-4. He previously reached that stage back in 2006 and 2007, losing at the hands of Roger
Federer on both occasions.
The Swiss native enters with a win loss mark of 70-9 on the season. This is his 13th semi final showing in seventeen championships on the tour in 2010. He captured a total of seven crowns this season highlighted by three Grand Slam titles, the
French Open, Wimbledon and United States Open in New York.
His other notable performances in 2010 include title victories in World Tour Masters 1000 Monte Carlo, ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Rome, Tokyo, semi final appearances in ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Indian Wells, ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Miami, ATP World
Tour Masters 1000 Canada, Bangkok and quarter final runs in the Australian Open, London and Cincinnati.
World number five Andy Murray, on the other hand, made his way into the semi final round in the season finale as a result of winning two round robin clashes this week in London. The Scott, who is making his third appearance in a row, qualified for the final
four stage after recording a two setter win over David Ferrer of Spain on Friday. The final match score was 6-2, 6-2.
The only match he lost in the round robin stage was against Roger Federer where the Swiss tennis maestro beat him in comfortable straight sets with a score line of 6-4, 6-2. In his opener, Murray toppled the world number four Robin Soderling in two sets
on Sunday.
The highest ranked Brit is playing in his sixth semi-final round of the season. Murray, who started the year by playing at the Australian Open in Melbourne back in January, is on course to finish in top four for the third year in a row.
After a runner up effort at the year’s first Grand Slam, the Scott after some early round exits won his first season title in the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Toronto after getting the better of Roger Federer in the final. His other season highlights include
title victory in Shanghai, finalist run in Los Angeles, semi final appearance in Wimbledon and quarter final finishes in the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Indian Wells, Madrid, Cincinnati, Beijing and ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Paris.
According to the stats, Murray has beaten the world number one more often on hard courts and it is no fluke that the number one Brit also thrashed out the Spaniard in the quarter final match of the Australian Open earlier this season. In fact, he is the
only contender to have dismissed Rafa from a Grand Slam match in 2010 and if the local favourite plays at his top level then today’s semi-final match is his, without any question.
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