Montreal Masters semi-final preview: A rivalry revisited and the Canadian surge

The big guns returned to action this week at the Rogers Cup with an eye on the crown at Flushing Meadows. However, most of them have fallen to some inspired tennis from their Canadian counterparts, with only a few usual suspects still present in the business end of the tournament.

If the Wimbledon upsets were an aberration, the Montreal Masters has thrown up its fair share, giving us an insight into what we can be expect as the season draws a close. As we gear up for the semis of the Masters Series event, here is what lies in store for an action packed Saturday:

Rafael Nadal of Spain celebrates his win over Marinko Matosevic of Australia during the Rogers Cup at Uniprix Stadium on August 9, 2013 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Getty Images)

Novak Djokovic vs. Rafael Nadal – A rivalry revisited:

If the Roger Federer-Rafael Nadal rivalry was one which people would die for, the rivalry between Djoko-Nadal has given us loads of memorable moments and grown in stature.

With both players’ never say die attitude, Nadal and Novak Djokovic have provided for some classic matches that have rewritten the record books. Be itthe sheer endurance of the two in the 2012 Aussie Open final or Nole’s fight to be crowned king on clay, these two have extended the limits of human fortitude beyond comprehension.

As they get ready for another encounter on the hard courts of Montreal, a cracker of a game is in the offing. The last time these two met was in the semis at Roland Garros, with Nadal breaking Novak’s dream of completing a career Grand Slam by winning in fiving engrossing sets.

The surface has, however, changed and Djokovic would be the favourite this time around. But Nadal, as always, cannot be counted out. If people believed that the knee injury would stop the Spaniard, a great run of eight consecutive finals silenced his critics.

Nadal is the only player who has reached the last four without dropping a set. Djokovic, on the other hand, was given a big scare by Uzbek Denis Istomin in his round of 16 clash, and could be vulnerable against a dominant Nadal. All in all, this would be the match of the tournament, and one which any ardent tennis fan would not want to miss.

Head to Head: Nadal leads 20-15 | Prediction: Nadal to win in three sets.

Vasek Pospisil of Canada celebrates match point against Tomas Berdych of Czech Republic during the Rogers Cup at Uniprix Stadium on August 8, 2013 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Getty Images)

Vasek Pospisil vs. Milos Raonic – The Canadian surge:

The commentator aptly described the quarterfinal clash last night, “The advantage of being a Canadian and hosting a tournament is that you can win a Challenger tournament the previous week and hop in straight away against the big guns and pull off upsets like Pospisil has done this week.”

Vasek Pospisil has done exactly that to reach his first ever Masters 1000 series semi-final at the Rogers Cup.

If the Davis Cup win over Spain wasn’t convincing enough, the Canadians, who had five players in the second round (a record in itself), are gradually becoming a force to be reckoned with. Milos Raonic and Vasek Pospisil have played mind-blowing tennis this week, and their clash will ensure a Canadian finalist come Sunday.

Pospisil started his Montreal campaign with a win over Washington finalist John Isner, knocking him out in a tense final set tie-break. This was followed up by a terrific display against Radek Stepanek, and he topped that with a first top ten victory over Tomas Berdych.

Luck was also on the Canadian’s side in the quarters as Davydenko retired early in the match. On the other hand, Raonic knocked out Washington winner Juan Martin Del Potro in the third round followed by an inspired win against Latvian Ernests Gulbis in the quarters.

If form is to go by, Raonic would be the favourite to make the final, but Pospisil cannot be underestimated and can certainly pull off an upset to cap off an incredible week.

Head to Head: First meeting on ATP tour (Challenger and Future tournaments Pospisil leads 3-1) | Prediction: Raonic wins in straight sets