Murray, Ferrer, Djokovic, Wawrinka, Battle For Paris Final Spots
The BNP Paribas Masters semi-finals on Saturday are led by top seed/World No. 1 and reigning two-time champion Novak Djokovic and No. 2 Andy Murray along with No. 4 Stan Wawrinka and No. 8 David Ferrer. The foursome also have qualified for the season-ending Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London, Nov. 15-22. Djokovic and Ferrer (2012) are former champions here while Murray and Wawrinka are appearing in their first semi-final.
In the opening singles match on Court Central, Murray brings a 10-6 FedEx ATP Head 2 Head record (8-2 on hard) against Ferrer. The Scot has won the last three meetings, including their last encounter in the QF at Roland Garros in June. If Murray wins the title, he will secure the year-end No. 2 Emirates ATP Ranking for the first time in his career.
In the second match, Djokovic takes his 20-match and 28 sets winning streaks against Wawrinka in a rematch of the Roland Garros final in June. The Swiss No. 2 won that match in four sets to claim his second Grand Slam crown and end Djokovic’s 28-match winning streak on the season. It was also Djokovic’s lone Slam loss of the year (27-1). The Serb leads the overall series 18-4, including 13-2 on hard courts. Djokovic won the last meeting 64 61 in the QF at ATP Masters 1000 Cincinnati in August. Djokovic is trying to become the first player to win six ATP Masters 1000 titles in a season and also claim a tournament record fourth title. Coach Boris Becker and former No.1 Marat Safin each have won three titles in Bercy.
STREAKS ON THE LINE: Djokovic has a number of streaks on the line going into Saturday:
– 28 sets winning streak since losing 2nd set vs. Federer in US Open final on September 14
– 20 match winning streak since last loss to Federer in final of Cincinnati on August 23
– 15 semi-finals won in a row since last loss to Federer in SF of Shanghai in October 2014
– 13 finals in a row since falling in QFs to Karlovic in Doha in January (opening week of year)
– 13 match winning streak in Bercy since last loss to Querrey in 2R (opening match) in 2012
SUCCESS IN PARIS: All four players have enjoyed success in Paris during their career:
– Djokovic 24-6 in Bercy (3 Titles), 48-11 at Roland Garros (3 Finals)
– Murray 16-8 in Bercy (1 SF), 28-8 at Roland Garros (3 SFs)
– Wawrinka 13-10 in Bercy (1 SF), 27-10 at Roland Garros (1 Title)
– Ferrer 21-9 in Bercy (1 Title), 40-13 at Roland Garros (1 Final)
EMIRATES ATP RACE TO LONDON UPDATE: Each of the eight singles spots at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals Nov. 15-22 has been secured entering the BNP Paribas Masters. Four of the ‘Elite Eight’ players coming to London are in the semi-finals.
EMIRATES ATP DOUBLES RACE TO LONDON UPDATE: Marcelo Melo debuts this week as the new World No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Doubles Rankings, ending a 173-week run by Bob and/or Mike Bryan atop the rankings. No. 4 Dodig/Melo will move to No. 3 if they reach the final. There are two teams attempting to clinch the eighth and final spot at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals (Nov. 15-22). It will come down to No. 8 Bopanna/Mergea and No. 10 Pospisil/Sock, who will qualify if they win the title on Sunday.
CLOSER LOOK AT DJOKOVIC vs. WAWRINKA: Djokovic has an 18-4 record against Wawrinka in their FedEx Head 2 Head and here’s a summary of their previous meetings:
– Wawrinka beat Djokovic en route to his 2 major titles (2014 Australian Open, 2015 Roland Garros)
– Djokovic and Wawrinka have gone 5 sets in 5 of their 7 Grand Slam and Davis Cup matches
– From 2007 to 2013, Djokovic enjoyed a 14-match win streak over Wawrinka
– Djokovic is 9-0 against Wawrinka at ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournaments
– Djokovic has won 8 of 9 tie-breaks against Wawrinka during their 21-match rivalry
– Wawrinka won his 1st ATP World Tour title by beating Djokovic in the 2006 Umag final (6-6 ret)
– 17-year-old Djokovic beat 19-year-old Wawrinka 6-2, 6-3 in their first meeting (2004 Aachen CH)