Rafael Nadal, who will dethrone Roger Federer as the world number one in men's tennis on August 18 2008, will confront Serbia's Novak Djokovic in the semifinal of the men's singles tournament of the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics, scheduled for August 15 2008.

To reach the semis, Nadal had to go through Austria's Jurgen Melzer on August 14 and he did it in style, winning in straight sets 6-0, 6-1.

Djokovic, on the other hand, had the difficult task of winning against Frenchman Gael Monfils. After some resistance from his opponent, Djokovic emerged as the winner with a 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 result.

The winner of the Nadal-Djokovic clash will play against the winner of the other semifinal, also scheduled for August 15, in which Chile's Fernando Gonzales will meet American James Blake. The latter made news headlines on August 14 after defeating Roger Federer in the men's singles quarterfinals.