PREVIEW: US Open Men's Semifinal Showdowns

The final four men at the US Open have been decided and are set for the Men's Semifinal Showdowns. Here's a preview:

Roger Federer vs. Nikolay Davydenko

Head-to-head: Federer 9, Davydenko 0
Last meeting: French Open '07 (clay), Federer 7-5 7-6(5) 7-6(7)

Destroying American hopes of a US Open upset with his usual flair, World No. 1 Fed handled the best No. 5 seed Andy Roddick could muster and delivered a 7-6 (5), 7-6 (4), 6-2 quarterfinal victory. Speedy Russian Niko made quick work of Germany's No. 10 seed Tommy Haas with a 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 win. The last time these two met was at this year's French Open where Niko pushed Fed hard for 3 sets before succumbing to the Swiss' superior game.

Here's what Fed had to say about Niko:

"[...] I think he's a fantastic player. Totally underrated still sometimes from the media. Even though I have a great record against him, I'm aware of his ability. It was a very close match we did at the French Open this year in the semis. Last year I played out of my head in the semis, I remember. Looking forward to a tough match. He's a great player."

Here's what Niko said about playing Fed:

"You know, I always try, always try to come to [the level I played Haas] against Federer or like against Nadal, you know. [...] That's was to come to this level, it like Djokovic now try to come, you know, to this level, like beating Federer in Montréal. That's was for me also very important."

Outlook: We actually think Niko will play Fed tough here as he did in Paris. He won't win, but he'll push the Swiss hard and maybe even squeak out a tie-break set.

Novak Djokovic vs. David Ferrer

Head-to-head: Djokovic 1, Ferrer 2

Last meeting: Monte Carlo Masters Series, Ferrer 7-5, 6-4

Nole reached his 3rd consecutive Grand Slam semifinal, and first at the US Open, by defeating Spain's sexy No. 17 seed Carlos Moya 6-4, 7-6 (7), 6-1. David, who earlier defeated compatriot Rafael Nadal, continued his New York success by reaching his first Grand Slam semifinal by taking out No. 20 seed Juan Ignacio Chela 6-2, 6-3, 7-5. David has a winning edge in his head-to-head with Nole and won their last meeting on clay in Monte Carlo, so expect the Spaniard to come in with confidence as he's done all tournament.

Here's Nole's take on playing David in the semifinals:

"Well, he's a great competitor. Obviously he's performing his best tennis this year. He had an impressive year, especially here in US Open he's been playing some great tennis. He beat Nadal, so he plays every point, you know, he's running and he doesn't give you a lot of unforced errors, so you've got to earn every point if you want to be in control of the match.So that's what I'm going to try to do. I'm going to try to be aggressive and patient at the same time."

Here's what David said about Nole's game:

"Djokovic is unbelievable player. Very young player and he plays really very well. For me, he can move to No. 1 of the world five or six years. Depends of Rafa or Roger, no? But it's another generation.He serve well, he has a very good backhand, forehand. He do all. A really good player."

Outlook: Nole may be ranked higher the David, but this will be a tough match. Nole will have to serve a high percentage of first serves since the Spaniard is returning extremely well - so well that a certain Swiss called him "the best returner in the game." Nole will need to be aggressive and control the points or else the Spaniard could run him ragged and steal the match. A slight edge to Nole on this one.

Tell us who your picks are for the Men's Semifinal Showdowns!

(Images courtesy of AP Photos)