Novak Djokovic meets Rafa Nadal at Indian Wells semi-finals
Saturday 19 March 2016 22:54, UK
Novak Djokovic and Rafa Nadal continue their attempts to claim the Paribas Open Masters title when they clash in Saturday's semi-final at Indian Wells, live on Sky Sports 3 HD.
With 25 Grand Slam titles between them (Nadal 14, Djokovic 11) and a head-to-head record that reads 24-23 in the Serbian's favour it promises to be a memorable occasion as the battle for the first Masters 1000 title reaches it's conclusion.
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While the top half of the draw has evolved as expected, the bottom half of the draw has thrown up a more surprising showdown with Belgium's David Goffin through to face Canada's Milos Raonic.
Novak Djokovic v Rafa Nadal
The semi-fiinal everyone wanted and everyone has got will see a revitalised Nadal take on Djokovic looking to end a run of five straight defeats at the hands of the formidable world No 1. Nadal has not beaten the Serb since the 2014 French Open final and has not recorded a win on the hard courts since the US Open in 2013.
Djokovic won their only meeting in 2016 with victory in the final in Doha but the Spaniard has looked back to his best at Indian Wells including a victory over German teenager Alexander Zverev where he was forced to save match points on his way to a victory that bore all the battling hallmarks of old.
Victory for Nadal will keep him on course for a 28th Masters title, he already holds the record of 27, just one ahead of Djokovic who would relish the chance to draw level ahead of Miami next week.
Djokovic also has his eye on a fifth Indian Wells title, he is currently level on four with Nadal but the Spaniard is chasing a fourth crown on these courts himself.
The numbers all make for interesting reading but it is on the court where the pair will do battle and Djokovic looks to be moving into ominous form after taking his time to settle into the week, while Nadal looked and celebrated like a man on a mission following his victory over Jo-Wilfried Tsonga on Friday.
David Goffin v Milos Raonic
The exits of Andy Murray, Stan Wawrinka and Tomas Berdych has left us with an intriguing contest between 12th seed Raonic and 15th seed Goffin - who meet for just the second time on tour.
The Belgian's elegant strokeplay got the better of the Canadian's brutal serve when they met in a quarter-final in Basel in 2014 but both men have come a long way since then as they target the biggest title of their career.
Raonic has yet to drop a set, seeing off Berdych and Gael Monfils impressively and Goffin has the names of Wawrinka and Marin Cilic on his list of conquests.
Neither man has won a Masters title, Raonic coming closest with two runners-up efforts in Paris in 2014 and Montreal in 2013 while Goffin is enjoying his best ever run at a ATP 1000 event.
You can follow all the action from Indian Wells on Sky Sports 3 from 6pm.
