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  • Berdych stands in between Djokovic and Bangkok final

    9/27/08 3:36 AM | Ricky Dimon
    - The top four seeds reached the semifinals of the Thailand Open, and No. 1 and No. 3 will square off for a spot in the final. It will be Novak Djokovic vs. Tomas Berdych on Saturday in Bangkok.

    It will be the first career head-to-head meeting between Novak Djokovic and Tomas Berdych when the two men square off at the Thailand Open on Saturday. Outside of Davis Cup and either a Grand Slam or Masters Series tournament, the stakes could not be much higher. The winner will book his place in Sunday's title match.

    A final appearance this week would be one of the highlights to what has been a disappointing season by Berdych's standards. He is 35th in the ATP race and his sub-par results this year have him down to No. 27 in the world. Berdych reached the semifinals of the Son Ericsson Open in March, but it has been a major struggle since then. The Czech, however, appears to be getting back in a groove this week. Berdych, the No. 3 seed in Bangkok, rolled over Simone Bolelli 7-5, 6-1 and then dispatched Nicolas Mahut 7-6(6), 6-3.

    Unlike Berdych, Djokovic has been remarkably consistent in 2008, and has enjoyed success on all surfaces. Ranked No. 3 in the world, Djokovic won the Australian Open and reached the semifinals of the French and U.S. Opens and the Olympics, where he won the bronze medal. The Serb's lone Grand Slam blemish came with a second-round loss to Marat Safin at Wimbledon, but Djokovic also has a runner-up performance on the grass courts of Queen's Club to his credit. Playing in his first ATP event since an emotionally-draining semifinal appearance in New York, the No. 1 seed ousted Simon Stadler with no problem on Thursday and then knocked out indoor-court guru Robin Söderling 6-4, 7-5.

    Beating Djokovic would be a massive accomplishment for Berdych, who often beats up players he is supposed to beat but rarely pulls of any huge upsets of the very top performers. The problem for Berdych here is that Djokovic can do everything he can do, but Djokovic is just a little more solid in every department. Berdych's only real chance is to serve incredibly well and keep points relatively short. He does not have the same consistency as Djokovic, so he must attack the net and do so to his opponent's forehand. All of that is a tall task for the underdog, so count on Djokovic coming through in two fairly tight sets.

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