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In a rematch of the 2010 Wimbledon final, Rafael Nadal faces Tomas Berdych for a place in the semi-finals of the Australian Open. Join us for live scores and blog later this evening.
Berdych will have to defy some pretty dark history if is to upset Nadal in the Australian Open quarter-final.
The world No.7 has lost his past nine matches against the Spaniard, and furthermore, he has lost in straight sets in eight of those matches.
Overall, history suggests that Nadal might aswell stroll to another victory against Berdych on his way to a possible semi-final showdown with Roger Federer.
Although Nadal has yet to drop a set at the Australian Open, the Spaniard has made it clear that he is not at full fitness, so Berdych should take this opportunity to really test the shoulder of the world No.2 with some powerful serving and baseline hitting.
At his best, Berdych can hit as well as anyone on the ATP tour, but his capacity to go missing mentally in the key moments of matches has cost him dearly in his quest to become a regular contender for Grand Slams.
Prediction –
Berdych will look to control Nadal with his heavy baseline hitting, given that the Czech player thrives on his ability to control points with a strong first serve, followed by aggressive groundstrokes off both the backhand and forehand side.
In his controversial win over Nicolas Almagro, Berdych played at a high level against the Spaniard, and should take confidence from a performance that saw him come back from a set down to record a very tight victory which saw him win three tiebreakers.
If Berdych can find his range early on with the serve and forehand, he certainly possesses the arsenal necessary to beat Nadal tonight.
Berdych may also look to introduce the serve and volley tactic in order to take time away from Nadal and force the Spaniard to take more risks with his forehand or backhand return.
The world No.2 on the other hand will look to return serve well against Berdych, and if he does, Nadal should be able to dictate the tempo of the match.
Like Djokovic, Nadal is a master counter puncher and will look to engage Berdych in lengthy rallies that may force the big Czech player to produce unforced errors.
Of course, Nadal has several weapons of his own, with the double handed backhand and his topspin forehand among his most lethal shots. If the Spaniard has the chance to utilize these shots on a constant basis against Berdych, then we will most likely see a Nadal victory.
Nadal in four sets.