BNP Paribas Masters Semis - Nalbandian ends Murray streak

Paris, France – Sports bettors probably did not have Davydenko slotted this far in their betting bracket, as prior to the BNP Paribas Masters the Russian was mired in one of his worst slumps of the season. In fact, across the board he was expected to fall sooner.

Busting out of his late-season doldrums, Davydenko now features in his third Masters semis of the season with a shot of reaching his second Masters final. He arrives at this stage of the tournament with victories over Ljubicic and Berdych and a free pass in the quarters when Nadal retired mid-match with a knee injury.

At the start of the season, Davydenko won the Miami Masters title when he beat Rafael Nadal in straight sets 6-4, 6-2. He went on to reach the Monte Carlo Masters semis, where Nadal found redemption with a 6-3, 6-2 triumph over him. Now in his third Masters semi, he takes on defending champion David Nalbandian.

Nalbandian returns to this event in high form and optimism. Appearing in his first Masters semi of the year, previously his best was a quarterfinal appearance at the Indian Wells Masters, he enters on the strength of a runner-up finish in Basel and a title victory in Stockholm.

Nalbandian stormed through the event with convincing victories over Kiefer, Juan Martin Del Potro and Andy Murray. In indoor hard court events, Nalbandian is 13-2 for the fall swing and he is 39-15 on the season with two titles.

Tennis Betting Line: Nikolay Davydenko vs. David Nalbandian

Match time: 05:00 AM Eastern time, Saturday November 1, 2008

Head-to-Head Analysis: The series between the two is a tight affair with Nalbandian leading 5-4. However, of their nine meetings only one was played on hard, way back in 2002 in Vienna. Davydenko won that encounter. The most recent match between the two was during Davis Cup action. Davydenko beat Nalbandian in four sets 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(2), 6-0. (Although Russia went on to lose the semifinal tie in the fifth rubber.)

Tennis Prediction: This will be a close match if there record were an indication. The last two meetings between the two players went the way of the Russian. Aside from the victory during the Davis Cup tie, Davydenko beat Nalbandian at Roland Garros in 2007.

Though Davydenko has been flat of late, he does bring a 53-18 mark and 3 titles to the table. He seems to have found his game during this late push of the season, which bodes well for his Masters Cup bid in Shanghai two weeks from now.

Nalbandian is in the midst of a late season surge and his Masters Cup hopes are delicately poised on the outcome of this tournament. If he successfully defends his title, he may very well secure an invitation to the prestigious Masters Cup showdown.

Tennis Betting Verdict: When push comes to shove, Nalbandian is a player that typically can be counted on to deliver. If he wants to win and feature in the eight-man roster in Shanghai, I believe he will do so. He has the slight edge over Davydenko in head-to-heads but more importantly, indoor courts are his domain, his speciality. He is a bit of a guru on the stuff. He recorded big wins back-to-back in beating Del Potro and Murray. His confidence is high and he has every chance of advancing.