By Chris Oddo

(August, 3, 2012) -- "Wow" is pretty much all I can say after two men’s semifinals of that caliber. Just wow.

Without any further ado, here are five quick thoughts on a glorious Day 7 of Olympic tennis:

1. Murray Mania is Larger in Life

Hairdresser on fire, was that Andy Murray serving like Pete Sampras in his semifinal against Novak Djokovic today? Yes, indeed, it was. Murray basically put the kibosh on the player that has come to be known as the best returner of all time today, saving all four break points he faced in the second set after pitching a serving shutout in the first set.

This was a sizzling performance from Murray from the service line, perhaps the best of his career. I’ve always said that the ability to knock down clutch serves was the thing that was really holding Murray back, and now that he is demonstrating his ability to do just that, I really think he is ready to take over the world (one big serve at a time). I give Murray an 11 out of 10 for his serving (and overall, lest we forget the brilliant baseline stuff that these two put forth on nearly every point) performance today, and I hope he’s got some of that mojo left for Roger Federer in the final. He’ll surely need it.

2. Serena Looks Invincible

Okay, it took a while for Serena Williams to hit full flight after she returned from her near-career-ending injuries, but that seems like lifetimes ago now. Serena Williams, simply put, is in a zone. That’s the long and that’s the short of it. That’s the middle too. She is like an eighteen-wheeler rumbling over an ant colony on US 66.

Who knew when Urszula Radwanska took five games from Serena in the second round that it would be the closest anybody would get to beating her until the gold medal match? The 14-time Grand Slam champion has lost 16 games in five matches, and she’s one match away from being the first player in tennis history (male or female) to own titles at all four Grand Slams and Olympic gold medals in both singles and doubles.

After her shocking loss at the French Open to Virginie Razzano, you’d be hard pressed to find anybody to predict that Serena would be this good, this soon after a loss that would have been a confidence crusher for so many.

3. Gold Medal Dreaming

How about this weekend's upcoming men’s and women’s singles finals? Talk about popcorn love. Serena Williams vs. Maria Sharapova and Roger Federer vs. Andy Murray. Count me among the skeptics who had no idea that Olympic tennis could possibly be this good. The Games have gone way, way, way beyond expectations when it comes to tennis, and we aren't even close to being done yet!

4. Shout out to Delpo

Exhibit A of why I think the Olympics and tennis will always be a great match was the determined effort of Juan Martin del Potro against Roger Federer today in the semifinals. You could see, feel and taste the desire of the Argentine as he nearly pulled off the second-biggest coup of career in a match that will go down as one of many instaclassics to have spontaneously combusted at this year’s Olympics.

The only sad part is that the heartbreak of del Potro’s loss was compounded when he lost his mixed doubles quarterfinal later in the day. That's a double I wouldn't wish on anybody.

I’m a huge Novak Djokovic fan, but I must say that part of me wants to see Del Potro get that bronze medal tomorrow in a MASSIVE way. But even if he doesn’t, Juan Martin has captured the spirit of the Olympic Games beautifully with his effort against Federer and throughout this whole tournament. To be fair, he’s not the only one (Raonic, Tsonga, Melo, Soares, Ferrer, Lisicki, Kirilenko and Djokovic come to mind, and I’m sure I’m missing some), but it was his effort that struck the sweetest chord with me.

5. Bryan Brothers Going for the Gold

Kudos to Mike and Bob Bryan, arguably the greatest doubles tandem of all-time, for finally making it to the gold medal match today. There isn’t much that the Bryans haven’t accomplished over the course of their careers (on both the tour and in the Davis Cup) but the gold medal is the one thing that has always been missing from their resume. Tomorrow, they can seize the day when they meet the French duo of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Michael Llodra with the precious gold medal on the line.

(Photo Credit: Getty)