PARIS SEMIS

Nikolay Davydenko (No6) – David Nalbandian (No8)

24 hours ago, few would have been expecting this particular semi-final line-up. The great shame of the quarter-finals however is that we did not get to see Nikolay Davydenko do battle with a fully fit Rafael Nadal. The 2006 BNP Paribas Masters winner has been getting better and better as the tournament wears on and is very much the pleasant surprise of the tournament after a run of poor results this autumn.

The match will be a battle between a model of consistency and a flawed genius. Davydenko is solid as a rock when he’s in a rhythm, while David Nalbandian is the kind of person who can beat anyone on the world on his day with his variations of pace and length. The No8 seed took out the form player of the tour Andy Murray in the quarter-finals, and with a Davis Cup final to look forward to next month, Nalbandian seems to have got his appetite for tennis back. Particularly since he is now only four sets away from becoming the first holder to retain his title at Bercy, and also qualify for the Masters Cup while he is about it.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (No13) – James Blake (No11)

Whatever happens, Tsonga has won the hearts of the Parisian crowd already with his incredible three-set wins over Novak Djokovic and Andy Roddick on consecutive days. The crowd will be looking forward to another show in Saturday’s second semi-final and will be right behind the spectacular and charismatic 23-year-old. His three-hour epic against Roddick will no doubt have taken its toll on him, while his opponent has enjoyed a day off.

James Blake has had a far easier passage through to the semis, with Roger Federer pulling out just before their quarter-final clash. The New Yorker struggled to get past Italian youngster Simone Bolelli in the second round, but he now finds himself a mere two sets away from a Masters Cup berth – surely motivation enough for the 28-year-old who finished runner-up in the season-ending competition two years ago.

Tsonga is also still in the running for Shanghai – a final berth will suffice if Davydenko wins, but should Nalbandian get through, then Jo-Wil will face another winner-takes-all shoot-out. And the way he is playing at the moment, anything is possible.