The top four ranked men in professional tennis (in any order!), Roger Federer, Andy Murray, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, reached the semifinals in the final major tune-up tournament on the Olympus U.S. Open Series at the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters in Cincinnati.  

•    Roger Federer would definitely like to reverse his four match losing streak against Andy Murray by winning their encounter on Saturday.  However, Federer, who is shooting for his sixth straight U.S. Open title, has already come through some challenging matches in Cincinnati after losing to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in Montreal last week.  Coupled with his 2009 French Open and Wimbledon titles and the good memories at Flushing Meadows, Roger should feel confident as he attempts to defend his U.S. Open title.  

•    Andy Murray struggled in his quarterfinal win over Julien Benneteau today, but even a loss to Federer in the semis shouldn’t dent the confidence that Murray is feeling after winning in Montreal and having the best hard court record of the top men in 2009.  

•    For Rafael Nadal, reaching the semis with stronger play than in Montreal and no pain in his knees, bodes well for his chances at the U.S. Open.  For the first time in years, Nadal won’t enter Flushing Meadows exhausted after a heavy spring and summer slate of tournaments… watch out!  

•    Novak Djokovic seems to be playing off the radar this summer because he has slipped in the rankings and not performed well at the 2009 Grand Slams, losing early at the French Open and Wimbledon.  By reaching (at least) the semis in Cincinnati, Djokovic is potentially rounding into form at just the right time to peak for the Open.  

All in all, it’s been an entertaining appetizer of Olympus U.S. Open Series matches leading into the year’s final Grand Slam.  Regardless of who wins the semifinal matches on Saturday, all four players should feel good about their chances at the 2009 U.S. Open which begins in ten days on Monday, August 31st.