Pacific Life Open Men's Semifinal Preview

(12)DJOKOVIC, Novak SRB vs (9)HAAS, Tommy GER (13)MURRAY, Andy GBR

Novak Djokovic has been slicing through the Pacific Life Open draw like a scythe, another beneficiary of Bloody Sunday where a third of the tournament's seeded players lost, including The Mighty Fed. Thus the youngster's 6-4 6-3 demolition of Spain's (14)David Ferrer was something of a surprise to some but not to Mad Professah, who has been keeping his eye on the young Serbian player since the 2005 US Open. The slightly older (Djokovic and Murray were born one week apart) Scottish youngster turned over his ankle in the 3rd game of the second set against (9)Tommy Haas while up a break but still managed to hold onto the break and win the second set 6-3 after losing the first by the same score. Then Murray managed to save two match points against and win the match in an 18-point tiebreak in the third set! Djokovic and Murray have only played once (at last year's Madrid ATP Master Series event) with the older player winning 1-6 7-5 6-3. I think it is perfectly natural for Murray to experience an emotional letdown after such an amazing quarterfinal win and that ankle injury looked like it's gotta hurt the next day. Mad Professah's pick: Djokovic.

(3)RODDICK, Andy USA vs (2)NADAL, Rafael ESP

The New Andy Roddick™ played the best match of the tournament to beat powerful serving Ivan Ljubicic in two tight tiebreak sets 7-6(7) 7-6(8) of high quality tennis on Thursday. Ljubicic actually served more aces (12 to 8) and had the fastest serve (143 mph to Roddick's 142) but lost due to Roddick's superior balanced firepower on both wings, as well as the American's surprisingly consistent slice backhand. World #2 for a record 86 consecutive weeks Rafael Nadal took out Argentine Juan Ignacio Chela slightly more easily 7-5 7-5 to set up this mouth watering clash between the top two remaining seeds. Bizarrely, Roddick and Nadal have only played once before in a regular ATP tour match, at the second round of the 2004 US Open when the young Spaniard was just a few months past his 18th birthday. Roddick won that encounter easily in straight sets 6-0, 6-3, 6-4. However, Nadal beat Roddick in a decisive Davis Cup tie on clay in Seville, Spain in four sets to clinch the title for Spain later that year. This match is incredibly important for both players in order to resolve who is the legitimate challenger to World #1 Roger Federer. Mad Professah's pick: Roddick (in 3 sets).