Tennis News

Following their fourth round meeting at Indian Wells a couple of weeks ago at Indian Wells, world No. 1 Novak Djokovic and American No. 1 John Isner will meet again to determine who will advance to the final of the 2015 Miami Open. The two have crossed paths eight times previously, with Djokovic leading the head-to-head series 6-2.

In a much cleaner performance than his previous encounters in Miami this week, Novak Djokovic defeated an in-form David Ferrer in straight sets to work his way into the semi-final round in Miami. The only hiccup in the match came during the beginning, as Djokovic suffered from a slow start and quickly fell 1-4 before he regrouped and never looked back. He eventually closed out the match 7-5, 7-5 in under two hours.

In an impressive boost for American tennis, John Isner is through to the Miami Open semi-final after he defeated Kei Nishikori in straight sets 6-4, 6-3. It was an emphatic performance from the towering big-sever and he managed to hit 13 aces to close out the match in one hour and 10 minutes.

“Playing him is always a challenge,” Isner said of a possible matchup with Djokovic. “He’s the greatest player in the world right now, hands down. I played well against him last week in Indian Wells and he beat me in a tight two set match. “I’m going to have to bring that level and some if I do play against him, and I believe I can do that. He’s got a tough match [tonight] against one of the best competitors or sport has.”

This marks the ninth time that these two competitors will meet on the ATP World Tour, with Djokovic leading the series 6-2. Isner’s only two wins against the Serb were on American soil, including a semi-final win over Djokovic at this very event in 2012. While he is capable of another upset, it is difficult to determine whether the American will follow up on his impressive week so far on the tour.

Prediction: Novak Djokovic in Three Sets

An interesting semi-final match-up is scheduled to take place on Friday afternoon in Miami, as British No. 1 Andy Murray and Czech No. 1 Tomas Berdych meet for the twelfth time on the professional tour. While Murray holds the better record at the Australian Open, he trails Berdych 5-6 in Head to Head series.

Third seed Andy Murray is nearly through to his fourth Miami Open final, following his three set victory over Dominic Thiem on Wednesday afternoon. After weathering an aggressive and inspired start from the Austrian, Murray rebounded effectively to close out the match comfortably 3-6, 6-4, 6-1. After accomplishing the 500-win milestone, Murray will now look to reach his fourth Miami Open final when he meets Berdych in the semi-final.

“I expected a tough match,” Murray said. “He’s beaten some very good players this week already… When you let him dictate the points, he hits the ball as hard off each side as anyone.

Unlike his upcoming opponent, Berdych managed to beat his quarter-final opponent, Juan Monaco in straightforward fashion. He beat the Argentinian 6-3, 6-4 to set up his final four berth against the Scot. Given that he has reached the Miami Open final before, the Czech will be motivated to go even further and lift the title.

“What’s positive for me is that I think [Murray] played a very good tournament, very good tennis, and I managed to find a way to win a set,” Berdych said of his most recent meeting with the World No. 4. “It’s definitely going to be my goal to stick to the game plan and execute it.”

This marks the twelfth time that Murray and Berdych will cross paths on the professional tour, with Berdych leading the series 6-5. Murray won their most recent encounter at the Australian Open semi-final and will look to add to that momentum in 2015 en route to yet another Miami Open final.

Prediction: Andy Murray in Three Sets