Rafael Nadal faces Tomas Berdych on Saturday in the 2013 Cincinnati Open semifinals. The match begins at 2:30 p.m. ET. Watch the live stream HERE.
Nadal survived a quarterfinal thriller on Friday against longtime rival Roger Federer. Nadal needed three sets to win (5-7, 6-4, 6-3), ultimately advancing to the semifinals to continue his bid for his first Western & Southern Open title.
"For the first set and a half, it was very difficult for me to return his serve," Nadal said, via USA Today Sports. "He was winning all the games on his serve very, very easy. Finally I found the solution."
Nadal has looked sharp since his surprise exit at Wimbledon. He won the Rogers Cup last week, and perhaps most impressive, the "King of Clay" is 13-0 on hard courts.
World No. 6 Berdych stands in Nadal's way of the final. Berdych earned a spot in the semifinals with a surprising defeat of the No. 2 player in the World, Andy Murray. The Czech needed only two sets to send Murray packing, winning 6-3, 6-4.
Berdych entered the tournament with a 37-15 record, but with no titles. Friday's match against Murray continued Berdych's streak of not dropping a set at Cincinnati this year. He beat Jarkko Nieminen in the opening round (6-3, 6-2), then Tommy Robredo (6-3, 6-0) before dropping the reigning 2013 Wimbledon champion.
History, however, isn't on Berdych's side when he faces World No. 3 Nadal. In their 18 previous matches, Nadal has 15 wins, including victories in their two matches this year on the hard court at Indian Wells and the clay at Rome.
*Stats via ATPWorldTour.com and MatchStat.com.
