JOIN USNadal sets up semis date with Federer
The pair have not met on US soil since Federer’s win at Miami over the Spaniard five years ago, despite meeting 20 times in the years that have followed. Federer, who is down 14-8 in meetings between the pair, said he expected a classic.
“We really get up for these kind of matches against each other because we know the world is watching,” he said.
“We always have these incredible points and incredible matches against each other.” Federer was gifted his spot after Gilles Simon retired with a stiff neck six minutes into their match, while world number one Nadal battled to a 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 win over Tomas Berdych in a two hour, 17 minutes match.
Berdych was overpowered by Nadal’s fierce serve in the first set, but regrouped and broke in the second game of the second set. The Czech, making good use of his own powerful serve, secured his first set against the Spaniard since October 2006 but then was hanging in for most of the third.
Luck was not on Berdych’s side as two net cords fell badly for him, Nadal breaking to go 5-3 up in the third and to the delight of a packed stadium court, held serve to set up a mouthwatering semifinal with the world number three.
Nadal, who received some intense massage work courtside, said he had suffered from some pain in his right shoulder and neck area but was confident it would not hamper him on Friday.
Sharapova in final
Maria Sharapova reached her first final in more than seven months with a 3-6, 6-0, 6-2 victory over Germany’s Andrea Petkovic in the women’s event.
Sharapova will now lock horns with eighth-seeded Victoria Azarenka, who blasted past third seed Vera Zvonareva 6-0, 6-3, the title clash.
After losing the opening set, Sharapova suddenly turned the match around, completely overwhelming her opponent with the kind of devastating form that took the Russian to the top of the world rankings four times between 2005 and 2008.
Petkovic, who had become the giantkiller of the Key Biscayne tournament, faded quickly and was unable to reproduce the brilliant tennis she uncorked in her wins over the current world number one Caroline Wozniacki and the former rankings leader Jelena Jankovic.
Third seeds Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi saved a match point en route to a hard-fought three-set win over Oliver Marach and Janko Tipsarevic to book a berth in the doubles finals.
The third-seeded Indian pair won 6-3, 5-7, 11-9 to set up a clash with second seeds Max Mirnyi and Daniel Nestor, who defeated fourth-seeded Jurgen Melzer and Philipp
Petzschner 6-4, 6-1 in their semifinal match.
Bhupathi and Paes led 6-3, 2-0 before Marach and Tipsarevic turned things around to even the match at one set all. The final is a rematch of the semifinal clash at the Australian Open.