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10/21/11 7:37 PM | Ricky Dimon
A surprising semifinal between James Blake and Jarkko Nieminen will take place on Saturday in Stockholm. Blake got a free pass into the last four when David Nalbandian withdrew.
James Blake and Jarkko Nieminen will be squaring off for the eighth time in their careers when the two veterans do battle in a surprising semifinal at the If Stockholm Open on Saturday.
Blake is dominating the head-to-head series 6-1 and all seven meetings have come on hard courts. Nieminen, however, won their most recent encounter and it came at this very same event last year, with the Finn cruising to a 6-0, 6-2 quarterfinal rout.
Now Blake has a chance to regain the upper hand over his opponent, in part thanks to a fortuitous turn of events on Friday. The American had been slated to face David Nalbandian, who was coming off an awesome performance against Ivan Dodig. Nalbandian, though, pulled out prior to the quarterfinal clash due to a leg injury.
Still, Blake's path to the semis has not exactly been a piece of cake. The world No. 69 defeated Olivier Rochus in straight sets then upset No. 2 seed Juan Martin Del Potro 6-4, 6-4. Blake has rounded into form of late and he is a solid 17-13 at the ATP level for his 2011 campaign.
While Nieminen did not get any free passes en route to the last four, he did benefit from a somewhat favorable draw. The 30-year-old dismissed qualifier Marius Copil in round one, took out third-seeded Stanislas Wawrinka to reach the quarters, then fought past Tobias Kamke 3-6, 7-5, 6-1. Nieminen, ranked 73rd, now owns a 20-22 record for the season.
Their 2010 encounter notwithstanding, Blake should have an edge on indoor hard courts because he hits the ball flatter than Nieminen and with more power. Blake should be able to take advantage of Nieminen's weak second serve, so look for the American to prevail in three sets.
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