Novak Djokovic, Tommy Haas reach Halle final

Tommy Haas who once ranked no. 2 back in 2002 (currently no. 41), will be playing his first final since winning the 2007 Morgan Keegan Tennis Championshps in Memphis.

After a great run at the French Open, which he eventually lost to champion Roger Federer in the quarterfinals, Haas will have a chance to stop Novak Djokovic who is bidding to win his first grass court title.

Haas beat fellow compatriot Philipp Kohlschreiber 2-6, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (3) in an all-German semifinal at the Gerry Weber Open yesterday.

In another semifinals, Novak Djokovic defeated qualifier Olivier Rochus 7-6 (7), 6-4 at this Wimbledon tuneup.

“I had to work hard for my points, especially on his serve,” Djokovic said.

“He has a great touch; he rarely makes mistakes from the baseline. I served well and I tried to change the pace.”

This is Djokovic’s second final on grass, after Queen’s Club last year, which he lost to 2008 Wimbledon champion Rafael Nadal.

Numbers wise, Djokovic has the advantage as he has beaten Haas twice in their last two matches.

The 31-year-old Haas has been slowed by injuries. He had his third shoulder operation in 2007.

Haas said the sunshine after wet, cloudy days created shadows on the court that bothered him at the start.

“I was really irritated,” he said. “I was thinking of too many things.”

(Via AP; Images by Philipp Guelland/AFP/Getty Images)

Rafael Nadal in a ruthless mood, demolishes Christophe Rochus

Top-ranked Rafael Nadal conclude the first round of the Australian Open tournament by dominating Christophe Rochus 6-0, 6-2, 6-2 at the Rod Laver Arena.

He showed no sign of the knee problems that sidelined him at the end of last year.

Nadal said he just wanted to get off to a good start and wasn’t trying to send a message.

Nadal, who reached the semifinals last year and is seeking his sixth Grand Slam title, finished with 47 winners to seven for Rochus and also blasted 10 aces.

The 75th-ranked Belgian, managed to laugh several times because basically there was little he could do.

The match only took 77 minutes . Rochus joked that he might need to consider a change in professions.

Nadal said it’s too dangerous to show any mercy.

“Sport is like this,” Nadal said.

“If I had some mistakes … anything can happen.”

"I'm just trying to improve and to be humble because every match is different and every match is tough."

"I'm very happy because I'm over the injury and at one of the greatest tournaments in the world."

Even my puppy loves this match!

(Via AP, ABC News; Images by Torsten Blackwood/AFP/Getty Images)

What to wear to win at the Beijing Olympics?

Red is thought to bring good luck for Chinese and is the color of items ranging from packets of lucky money (ang pow) handed out at Lunar New Year to lanterns and wedding dresses.

In sports, Tiger Woods famously wears red on the last day of a golf tournament for luck.
And what do Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal's Beijing Olympic gears tell you? Gold medals in the making?
Perhaps Nadal has an extra edge over Federer. Check out the tribal markings at the back of Nadal's red shirt. Isn't that warrior motif already send out a strong message to his competitors? Could he be the luckier one?
Newlycrowned world no.1 Jelena Jankovic is wearing red too but I don't think she'll be the lucky one in the women's singles. Nah, it's not the threats from the Williams sisters nor Dinara Safina, but it's her awful 'milkmaid' red dress. That sends a bad chi, isn't it?

But you know what? Sometimes you don't have to wear red to be a winner. Janko Tipsarevic is one example. He might have lost in the second round to Olivier Rochus, but he's still a winner here (read: sexy and drives thousands of traffic to my blog). But having the combination of both like Federer would be the best.

(Images by Clive Brunskill/Julian Finney/Getty Images, mentennisforum.com)