Friday has been a day full of upsets at the Madrid Masters with Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova both heading home. However, on the men's side, seeds Rafael Nadal and Tomas Berdych have set themselves up an intriguing semi-final encounter tomorrow.
It's a crucial match for both men, to say the least. Nadal is desperately attempting to regain confidence and momentum on the run up to Roland Garros by defending his title in Madrid - after a solid victory over Grigor Dimitrov today, another win over a top seed such as Tomas will be the perfect confidence booster.
Berdych on the other hand is trying to capture his first Clay Court Masters title. He's been having a very strong campaign so far, being the ATP player to reach the most semi-finals on tour (seven) ahead of Novak Djokovic. He came close in Monte Carlo where he reached the final but he couldn't quite provide a big enough challenge for the world number one Djokovic. For Berdych, perhaps it's the best possible time to capture a Masters title on Clay. With Roger Federer and Djokovic out of the picture and Nadal not at his best, he should make the most of the opportunity.
Having said that, playing Rafael Nadal on clay is a huge challenge no matter whatever level he's at. Everybody knows he's not been at his best recently, but the Spaniard is convinced he's on the right track. It's only a matter of time and with a few good wins up his sleeve he's more than capable of raising his level to compete in his seventh final in Madrid.
We think it'll be a tough match, and it's a difficult one to predict. However, I personally believe that Nadal will come through in a three-set victory. A win for the experienced Spaniard tomorrow will be hughely important and will give him a much-needed morale boost after an inconsistent showing over the past year or two as a whole. You feel it's an all important match for the King of Clay, but it won't be easy. Berdych is determined and getting closer to beating the highest ranked players as the year progresses. It'll be a tight match with everything at stake for Nadal, but the question is: How will he handle the big occasion?