2015 Rogers Cup Men’s Singles Semifinal Preview

What a (late) night it’s been in Canada! The top half of the draw features two men who bested a combined 9 match points against them, along with coming back from a set down to claim their victories. The bottom half of the draw consists of two men who made routine work of high-quality opponents. Below, we preview the two semifinal matches and predict the winners.

Semifinal #1: (1) Novak Djokovic vs. Jeremy Chardy

After a grueling three-hour match versus the massive serve of John Isner, Jeremy Chardy earned his first ever Masters Series semifinal. Unfortunately, the Gulbis surge that would’ve given him a winnable match subsided after the second set tiebreak, and a career-defining upset is what it would take to catapult him into the finals in Montreal. Chardy has never won a set against Djokovic in 22 tries, and he lacks the firepower and consistency needed to prevent Novak from going 24-0 in sets. This matchup is a perfect way for Djokovic to recover after a fun but taxing night match versus the talented Gulbus, and he should easily work Chardy around the court in a match taking no longer than an hour and a half.

Prediction: (1) Novak Djokovic def. Jeremy Chardy 6-2, 6-2

Semifinal #2 (4) Kei Nishikori vs. (2) Andy Murray

Kei Nishikori defeated one member of the Big Four in the quarterfinals, and looks to do so to make his second career Masters 1000 final. Standing in the way is a man who holds a 4-1 record against Nishikori, Andy Murray, who defeated last year’s Rogers Cup champion in the quarterfinals. Their last match played on hard court was a 6-4, 6-4 win for Nishikori. This, coupled with the momentum he’s gained from last week’s win in Washington all the way to the win over Nadal, gives Nishikori the slight edge in this match. Unlike the first semifinal, look for the man with the best deciding set record of all time to emerge victorious in three.

Prediction: (4) Kei Nishikori def. (2) Andy Murray 6-4, 5-7, 6-3