I won’t do point by point blogging, because that is completely distracting when it comes to actually watching the match.  I’ll do it game-by-game.

Surprisingly this is the early match, rather than Soderling-Berdych.  On the other hand, it is a Friday, so you can imagine someone skipping work to watch this, and still having Friday night off for those into the Miami nightlife.

Tennis Channel, alas, does not have coverage of this.  They appear to have split some of the coverage with Fox Sports Network with FSN having the lion’s share of the matches.  Tennis Channel, alas, never mentions this, and I believe, with a name like “Tennis Channel”, they need to tell you why they don’t cover the major events.  They should at least say “We regret we can’t cover the majority of Miami, but FSN has won that bid.  We hope to bring it to you sometime in the future”.

Roddick leads 1-0.  Rockets a bunch of serves and wins at love.

Rafa also holds easily, 1-all.

Nadal breaks at 30 to take a 2-1 lead.  Roddick isn’t even running down Nadal’s inside-in shot.  Nadal started off by hitting two very short shots that drew Roddick to net, and Nadal won both those points.  Roddick doesn’t normally go for winners, and Nadal has been training to play bigger shots to shorten the game up, as opposed to a more passive play during last year’s year end tournament.

Nadal up 3-1.  Roddick had break point on Nadal errors, but produced errors of his own, some in the desire of being more aggressive.

Roddick holds easily, but down 3-2.  Nadal may realize he can hold his own serve so there’s no reason to try to work hard on Roddick’s serve.

Roddick had a 0-30, but Nadal takes the next four points on aggressive shots and a good serve.  Up 4-2.

Another easy hold for Roddick, 4-3.  Nadal probably doesn’t mind.  He’ll ride his one break to a set and not expend energy trying to break Roddick’s serve again.

Nadal is just too much for Roddick from the baseline.  Roddick would normally keep the ball in play until his opponent makes an error, but Nadal’s shots are like half-winners.  They don’t do enough to win the point outright, but they force you into a weak shot, from which Nadal then hits a winning shot.  Nadal holds 5-3.

Nadal has break point on Roddick’s serve, but Roddick hits three big serves and holds.  Nadal leads 5-4.

Roddick hits two shots out that he challenges (incorrectly).  Nadal hits a crosscourt shot for a winner.  Hold to win first set, 6-4.   Roddick will start the second set.

Second Set

Andy holds easily.  The chair umpire overrules, but Roddick challenges.  Nadal seems to think it’s a good serve and the challenge shows the same.  Roddick tells the chair umpire to mind his own business.  1-0 to Roddick.

Nadal holds despite being pushed to deuce.  Two groundstroke winners, 1-all.

Roddick holds at 15.  Leads 2-1.

Nadal holds at love, 2-all.

Roddick holds at 30, 3-2.

Nadal holds despite a game effort by Roddick to say in the rally.  3-all.

Roddick holds at 15.  Had one nice rally, 4-3.

Roddick plays a few aggressive shots, and breaks at love, 5-3.

Roddick plays 3 unreturnable serves while Nadal plays one passive point which Roddick approaches and wins.  Roddick wins second set, 6-3.

Key to the second set was Roddick play a bit more aggressive, even up the middle.  Nadal played one tentative point once Roddick was serving for the set.  Let’s see if Nadal regresses into more passive playing or whether he plays more aggressive as he had done in the first set.

Third Set

Nadal opens his serve at love.  Roddick tried a slice, but landed wide.  Nadal leads 1-0.

Roddick fights off break point.  Wins two points at the net.  Ties it at 1-all.

Roddick plays a 15-30 point with one great lob which lead to a Nadal approach to net and a volley which Roddick lobbed again.  Nadal attempted a tweener, and went to double break.  Roddick tried to play aggressive but eventually missed.  Roddick then played an aggressive return and it lead to a Nadal error.  Roddick breaks 2-1.

Sounds like they are playing Shakira in the break.

Roddick holds a tight one after falling back on his serve.  You need to own an inside out forehand against Nadal so you can play it when the opportunity arises.  Roddick leads 3-1.

Nadal holds at love.  Does Roddick hope to hold serve until the end?  Roddick leads 3-2, up a break.

Roddick holds at love.  Nadal sprays the 40-0 point.  Seems irritated at something.  Up 4-2.

Nadal holds at love.  Roddick seems uninterested in trying to break Nadal again.  Roddick leads 4-3.  This is basically Sampras strategy.  Get a break, and don’t bother trying to break serve again, so the opponent doesn’t get any rhythm.  Nadal used to try to win every game, but even Nadal sometimes buys into this playing style.

Roddick holds in a tight one.  Played two aggressive points to 40-15.  Then two missed serves and two Nadal points to deuce.  Roddick serves and volleys to ad.  Nadal hits a great pass to deuce.  Nadal nets a shot to ad, and Roddick serves a big serve to hold, 5-3.

Roddick breaks at 30, with Nadal hitting errors.  Roddick takes the third set, 6-3 with a second break.

Conclusion

Gotta say, this repeats a pattern for Nadal.  He gets out of the gate quickly, but the opponent hangs in there, and he gets a bit nervous and makes a few more errors than he should.  Roddick managed to keep more shots in, and come to net more.  Nadal backed down some.  Good for Roddick making his second Masters 1000 final in a row.

Roddick basically broke from his usual style.  He came into net a bit more often and was even willing to take hard shots up the middle.  He also tried hitting the inside out and inside in shots a little sooner than usual.  Nadal’s tactics–to play more aggressive–helps him get dominant mode, but the tradeoff is making more errors.  He will need to learn to play this style better, because it’s the key to long-term playing.  He can’t afford to play long grinding rallies if he wants to preserve his body.

Good job to Andy Roddick for holding in there.  This is at least the third match that Nadal has taken a good lead and then wilted.  This includes a loss to Davydenko in Doha and his loss to Ljubicic in Indian Wells and now his loss to Roddick.  Roddick is surely happy at this result, because it’s been a while since he beat Nadal.