Key Biscayne: Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer won on Thursday to advance to a semifinal showdown at the Sony Ericsson Open — their first meeting in North America in six years.
The top-ranked Nadal defeated Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 in his quarterfinal match, while Federer advanced when his opponent, Gilles Simon, retired with a stiff neck after losing the first three games.
The rivals will play on Friday night for the 23rd time — but for the first time in North America since this tournament in 2005, when Federer beat Nadal for the title.
"We really get up for these kind of matches against each other because we know the world is watching," Federer said. "We always have these incredible points and incredible matches."
Maria Sharapova overcame a slow start by winning 11 consecutive games to reach the women's final, beating Andrea Petkovic of Germany 3-6, 6-0, 6-2.
Sharapova is seeking her first title since May 2010 and her first ever at Key Biscayne.
"It would mean a lot," she said. "It's the biggest tournament I think after the Grand Slams. I look forward to going out there and getting it done."
Her opponent on Saturday will be 2009 champion Victoria Azarenka, who beat No. 3-seeded Vera Zvonareva 6-0, 6-3.
Nadal and Federer have played in eight countries and one principality on four continents, producing some of the sport's most dramatic moments. Federer owns a record 16 Grand Slam titles but is only 8-14 against Nadal, including 2-6 in major tournaments. They've battled on even terms in recent years for the No. 1 ranking.
"We have that history and nobody can take it away from us," Federer said. "We've played in so many big finals against each other and were able to play over four or five tough sets and have always shown a lot of respect toward each other. If you win, great; if you lose, that's okay too, as long as you tried everything and learned something. But I am planning to win."
Their first meeting was at Key Biscayne in 2004, when a 17-year-old Nadal upset Federer in the third round. Federer was then in the midst of a record five-year reign at No. 1 but he lost six of the first seven times he played Nadal — and found it most annoying.
"Early on in my career, when I became the world No. 1, I didn't really have that rival and I was very happy about it," Federer said. "I was just able to win, win, win and dominate. That was quite incredible.
"So in the beginning, I guess I struggled to embrace the rivalry I had with Rafa. Only later on I was able to say, 'This is actually quite cool.' He was sleeveless with pirate pants, long hair, a lefty... It all kind of made sense and I was able to embrace it then."
Federer won their most recent matchup for the title in the ATP World Tour Finals in London last November. Nadal won their only other meeting last year in the Madrid final.
While most of their showdowns have been in finals between No. 1 and 2, they'll play this time in the semis because Federer recently slipped to third in the rankings behind Novak Djokovic. The other semifinal on Friday pits the Serb against American Mardy Fish.
After taking an early lead against Berdych, Nadal required treatment from a trainer for an apparent right shoulder injury.
The Spaniard was on the verge of falling behind when serving at love-40 in the opening game of the final set. He hit three consecutive aces and held, then broke in the next-to-last game and served out the match at love.
Nadal threw his sweaty wristband into the stands right-handed — an indication his shoulder wasn't too sore.
By comparison, Federer easily advanced. He won 12 of the 15 points he played against Simon and was done in 10 minutes when the Frenchman walked off the court to boos from the crowd.
Simon said he aggravated a recurring problem with his neck warming up before the match.
Sharapova double-faulted three times to lose her first service game and as the No. 21-seeded Petkovic pulled ahead, the crowd began to anticipate another Petko Dance, her victory jig that became a tournament staple in the past week.
Instead, it was Sharapova celebrating at the end, fists raised as she let out a jubilant scream. Later, she took a playful jab at Petkovic.
"I sensed that she was tired — probably a lot of the dancing that she has been doing," Sharapova said. "And I took advantage of it."
Sharapova, a former No. 1 player who has struggled to stay healthy in recent years, began this year ranked 18th and will return to the top 10 next week.
The No. 8-seeded Azarenka of Belarus has hardly been dominant in the tournament thus far, splitting sets in her first three matches. But she committed only 12 unforced errors and never faced a break point against Zvonareva.
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