Djokovic and his gang get shaved!

After Viktor Troicki toppled veteran Michael Llodra and Serbia leapt for joy for their tennis heroes, Janko Tipsarevic grabbed the hair clippers and shaved each of the players' heads (including himself) in a promise made after they won the semifinals of th Davis Cup. So now the top Serbian singles and doubles players are practically bald! Lets hope Novak's hair will grow back by next season.

Congrats to Serbia on such a great achievement in their Davis Cup journey!

Superb Federer finishes the year on a high note

Though Roger Federer has been in a bit of a slump this year apart from winning the Australian Open, he sure proved that he's capable of knocking out some of the best players in the world. He beat his rival Rafael Nadal in a stunning display of consistency, power and accuracy with a score of 63 36 61. This is Roger's 5th victory at the year-ending championships and it will be a memorable one at that. Roger kept his composure throughout the match even after Nadal broke serve in the second set showing what it really to be a champion. Though Nadal was running and fighting throughout the whole match, some errors were just too costly to afford and Federer took advantage of them. Federer finishes the year at world number 2 and earns the jackpot of $1.6 million while Nadal gets the honour of ending the year as the top dog after his Grand Slam haul this year.

Well done Roger and hopefully next year we will see you winning some more Slams.

Standing ovation for Nadal as well of course after his dream-like run to winning 3 Slams in a row and clinching the top spot on the tour.

Wishing all the players a good off-season and Happy Holidays!

Thanks for tuning in guys to the ATP Tennis Blog for all the news on the ATP Tour, and sorry for the keeping you waiting on the news after the end of Wimbledon.

Nadal bests Berdych to win Wimbledon and 8th Grand Slam title

World No. 1 Rafael Nadal won his second Wimbledon title on Sunday as he mastered blustery conditions at the All England Club to defeat first-time Grand Slam finalist Tomas Berdych 6-3, 7-5, 6-4 in the final of The Championships.

The Spaniard has dominated the ATP World Tour since April, winning 31 of his past 32 matches, and came into Wimbledon having just won his seventh Grand Slam championship at Roland Garros (d. Soderling). He also achieved the Roland Garros – Wimbledon double in 2008, when he became the first man since Bjorn Borg in 1980 to accomplish the feat.

The Manacor resident is the first Spaniard in history to win two Wimbledon titles. The only other Spanish winner at the All England Club is Manuel Santana, who lifted the trophy in 1966 (d. Ralston).

“It’s more than a dream for me,” said Nadal. “It was always my dream to play on this court and today, to play a fourth final for me was amazing. I couldn’t be here last year but this year I came back and to have this trophy in my hands is more than a dream.”

“It was a great two weeks for me, but he was very strong today,” conceded Berdych. “He’s showed in the last few months that he’s really the champion and he just deserved to win today.

The 24-year-old Nadal, who regained the No. 1 spot in the South African Airways 2010 ATP Rankings from Roger Federer after his Roland Garros triumph last month, added a further 2000 points to his tally. He has already secured his place in the elite eight-man field at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, the year-end championships which will return to The O2 in London from 21-28 November.

Nadal conquers 5th French Open title after straight sets win to Soderling in Paris

In a remarkable Sunday for Rafael Nadal, the Spaniard won his fifth Roland Garros title, returned to No. 1 in the South African Airways 2010 ATP Rankings and became the first player to qualify for the season-ending Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, after defeating Robin Soderling 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 in the final in Paris.

At the age of 24 years and four days, Nadal became just the second man in history to win five or more Roland Garros titles. Bjorn Borg finished his esteemed career with six titles on the Parisian clay. The Spaniard will subsequently return to the No. 1 spot in the South African Airways ATP Rankings for the first time since 22 June, 2009.

"[It was a] very important victory for me. I think one of the most important victories in my career," said Nadal. "It was a difficult year for me the last year. I worked a lot to be here. I was very nervous during all the tournament, because I know before that I was ready to try to win another time, and I saw the chances there. But the very positive thing is today I was ready to play. I was ready to play with calm and to try my best and to enjoy the match. I did, and it was a very special day.

"For me I was 11 months without winning a title, so a lot of tournaments going back to home without a victory. A lot of difficult moments, because in a few of these tournaments I had to retire for the problems. So is difficult moments to accept. It was personal goal to be back at my best. So I did. And for me, sure, the important thing is Roland Garros. But for me the biggest thing is the personal satisfaction to be here, to be here another time and to be at the top level."

Victory for Nadal secured his seventh major singles title. Together with his five victories at Roland Garros in 2005-2008 and 2010, the left-hander also lifted the Wimbledon trophy in a dramatic finale in 2008 and won the Australian Open last year.

Nadal has been in devastating form throughout the fortnight, racing to the title without the loss of a set despite coming across opponents such as Lleyton Hewitt, Thomaz Bellucci, Nicolas Almagro and Jurgen Melzer on his route through. It is the second time that the left-hander has won a Grand Slam championship without losing a set, having also achieved the feat at Roland Garros in 2008. In the Open Era, only two other players have won the title at Roland Garros without dropping a set - Ilie Nastase in 1973 and Bjorn Borg in 1978 and 1980.

Nadal closed the European clay-court circuit with an unbeaten 22-0 record, which began with victory at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters. The Manacor native went on to become the first player in history to win all three clay-court ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournaments in the same year and then achieved a historic “Clay Slam” with his triumph at Roland Garros.


Sunday, June 6, 2010

Singles - Final
(2) Rafael Nadal (ESP) d. (5) Robin Soderling (SWE) 64 62 64

Nadal to rematch Soderling for French Open crown

Rafael Nadal is one win away from replacing his long-time rival Roger Federer at No. 1 in the South African Airways 2010 ATP Rankings and capturing his fifth title at Roland Garros.

The second-seeded Spaniard extended his winning streak to 21 matches on clay courts this year after he defeated No. 22 seed Jurgen Melzer of Austria 6-2, 6-3, 7-6(6) in the semi-finals on Friday. It marked the third time that Nadal has reached the final in the French capital without dropping a set and the fifth time overall at a major championship.

"I think I played my best match today," said Nadal. "With my serve I played well all the time [and] the forehand too. With [my] backhand I am playing better and better every day."

Nadal will now look to avenge last year's fourth round defeat to fifth-seeded Swede Robin Soderling in Sunday's final, when he bids to win his seventh Grand Slam championship title (6-2 overall record). Soderling battled past No. 15 seed Tomas Berdych earlier on Friday. Read Match Report

"[Soderling] came back [today] to win a very good match," said Nadal. "He's [a] very, very dangerous player. He's one of the best in the world. Sure it's going to be a really difficult match.

"I know how I have to play to beat him, but I'm not speaking about tactics. I have to play my best tennis, and that's what I going to try to do. I never believe in revenge. I try my best in every moment, and if I lose, I lose."


Fifth seed Robin Soderling will attempt to become the first Swedish titlist at Roland Garros since Mats Wilander in 1988 after he fought past No. 15 seed Tomas Berdych 6-3, 3-6, 5-7, 6-3, 6-3 on Friday for a place in his second Grand Slam championship final.

Soderling, who captured his only clay-court title at the SkiStar Swedish Open at Bastad in July 2009, ended Berdych’s eight-match winning streak with victory in three hours and 27 minutes. By reaching the Roland Garros final for the second straight year, he is guaranteed to rise to a career-high No. 6 in the South African Airways ATP 2010 Rankings on Monday.

The Tibro native hit 18 aces (75 aces overall for the tournament) and 62 winners, converting six of 13 break point opportunities. Berdych, whose previous best Grand Slam performance was a quarter-final run at 2007 Wimbledon, committed 41 unforced errors and dropped to 1-13 lifetime against Top 10 opponents at major championships.

"Of course I could have lost that match," admitted Soderling, who will next meet four-time former champion and No. 2 seed Rafael Nadal of Spain. "It was very close. [It] was really tough to play my own game, because he didn't give me any time at all. He was hitting the ball really hard and really flat."


Friday, 4 June 2010

Singles - Semi-finals
[2] R Nadal (ESP) d [22] J Melzer (AUT) 62 63 76(6)
[5] R Soderling (SWE) d [15] T Berdych (CZE) 63 36 57 63 63

Nadal into semis after beating countryman Almagro; will face Melzer, who stunned Djokovic in five sets in Paris

Four-time former champion Rafael Nadal came through his toughest test so far at Roland Garros on Wednesday, winning his seventh straight match against fellow Spaniard and No. 19 seed Nicolas Almagro with a 7-6(2), 7-6(3), 6-4 victory to extend his perfect 2010 clay-court record to 20-0.

Nadal, who celebrates his 24th birthday on Thursday, hit four aces and 34 winners for victory in two hours and 33 minutes. He won 12 of 16 points on approach to the net and converted two of six break point opportunities.

"It was a difficult match, especially from a mental standpoint," said Nadal. "I had to return well, and I had the feeling that I was not capable of playing the way I wanted because he was so powerful.... When I really needed to play my best tennis, I had the opportunity of doing that. So I'm very happy I played this match in three sets, because it was very difficult."

If the Spaniard goes on to capture his fifth title in the French capital on Sunday, he will regain No. 1 in the South African Airways ATP Rankings for the first time since June 2009. Nadal's rival Roger Federer, the defending champion, lost to No. 5 seed Robin Soderling on Tuesday evening.

Jurgen Melzer, who had never before gone beyond the third round at a Grand Slam championship, is one victory away from reaching the Roland Garros final after an epic 3-6, 2-6, 6-2, 7-6(3), 6-4 win over third-seeded Serbian Novak Djokovic in four hours and 15 minutes on Wednesday.

"The more matches you win on a high level, the more confidence you get," said Melzer of his breakthrough performance. "For me, it was never a question of talent. It was more in the head."

The No. 22 seed, who is the first Austrian to reach the Roland Garros semi-finals since former World No. 1 Thomas Muster clinched the 1995 title, came back from a two-sets-to-love deficit for the first time in his career to set up a clash against four-time former champion Rafael Nadal of Spain. Melzer has a 0-2 record against his fellow left-hander.

Djokovic, who took a two-sets-to-love lead in just 67 minutes, led Melzer 2-0 in the third set before the 29 year old – the oldest player left in the draw – started his comeback.

"The only thing I told myself, 'It's my first quarter-finals in my life in a Grand Slam. Just don't go away. Just don't make it easy for him. Fight as much as you can,'" said Melzer, "and I was I wasn't playing so bad. I just missed a lot of easy shots when I had the chance and the opportunity to finish the point. And after that, I got back in, and at 2-all in the third it was an open match. I think I got a little under the skin after the third set."

In an ultra-competitive fourth set, Djokovic fell to 0/40 at 4-4 and saved eight break points in a 28-point game. Melzer took control of the tie-break winning six straight points, four of which came from Djokovic's unforced errors, for a 6-0 lead and levelled the scoreline with a backhand crosscourt winner.

Djokovic saved one break point at 30-40 in the opening game of the decider, while Melzer hit a backhand crosscourt winner at 30-40 in the sixth game. At 4-4, Djokovic saved two break points with forehand and smash winners but could not deny Melzer his third break point opportunity and 24th of the match.

Serving for the match at 5-4, 40-30, Melzer missed a forehand volley on his first match point opportunity and he hit a forehand into the net on his second point. But Melzer made it third time lucky, when Djokovic committed his 59th unforced error on a service return, for his first win over a Top 3 opponent since October 2002 at the Bank Austria TennisTrophy in Vienna (d. No. 2 Tommy Haas).

"At the end, it's just like getting to another chance and just believing you're gonna win," Melzer said of his composure after missing his first two match points. "I think all those break points I played good points. I came in and won. And then at the end, it's just a battle. Of course we were both tired and everything hurt. I just got through."

"I think he played really well in the last three sets," said Djokovic. "But I made a big mistake there. I made him come back into the match with my unforced errors, and then he caught the momentum and he was playing really well, especially on his service games.

"I'm very disappointed, obviously, to lose the match that I was in control of totally a set and a break. This is tennis, you know. This is Grand Slams. You always have to play up to the end, because these things happen, especially at this stage of tournament."


Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Singles - Quarterfinals
(2) Rafael Nadal (ESP) d. (19) Nicolas Almagro (ESP) 76(2) 76(3) 64
(22) Jurgen Melzer (AUT) d. (3) Novak Djokovic (SRB) 36 26 62 76(3)64

Nadal achieves 200th clay court victory on Day 9 in Paris

Four-time former champion Rafael Nadal has reached the Roland Garros quarter-finals without dropping a set after he recorded his 200th clay-court match win on Monday.

The second-seeded Spaniard hit 27 winners and committed just as many unforced errors to overcome No. 24 seed Thomaz Bellucci of Brazil 6-2, 7-5, 6-4 in two hours and 35 minutes.

Nadal has now reached the last eight for the 14th time in his past 16 Grand Slam championships. He is bidding to become just the second man in history to win five or more Roland Garros titles, after Swede Bjorn Borg (1974-75, 1978-81).

He will next meet his Spanish compatriot and No. 19 seed Nicolas Almagro. The pair met in the 2008 Roland Garros quarter-finals and also in the recent Mutua Madrileña Madrid Open semi-finals. Nadal leads 6-0 overall in their career series.

"It's going to be very difficult because the way he plays is really excellent," Nadal said. "He's managed to maintain the same level here in the tournament. It's going to be complicated; he's going to be very aggressive. It's normal. He knows how to do this. And as far as I'm concerned, I'll try and play my way and do my best. I'll do my best so that he feels a bit uncomfortable."

In an all-left-hander encounter, Nadal immediately stamped his authority on the pair's first meeting for two years by breaking Bellucci’s serve in the opening game. The Sao Paulo resident broke back in the fourth game, when he rushed Nadal into a backhand error off a forehand approach. Bellucci won seven straight points to 40/0 at 2-2, before Nadal sprang into action by winning four straight games to clinch the first set in 39 minutes.

Nadal threatened to run away with the second set, but Bellucci highlighted his potential as a genuine heir to three-time former Roland Garros champion and World No. 1 Gustavo Kuerten.

On two occasions the pair exchanged service breaks – in the second and third games, then again in the ninth and 10th games – but at 5-5, Nadal produced an outstanding backhand crosscourt pass off a powerful forehand approach by Bellucci to gain a crucial break. Nadal closed out the 61-minute second set to 30, when Bellucci hit a backhand into the net.

"I succeeded well because I managed to play even better," said Nadal. "I could shoot into the balls the way I wanted to, mainly the backhand shots, but also my forehand... I think I served better today than any other day, and I'm very satisfied because I think I've improved. I've not yet dropped a set."

Novak Djokovic maintained his record of never losing to an American on clay courts, when he beat Georgia resident Robby Ginepri on Monday for a place in the Roland Garros quarter-finals.

The third-seeded Serbian improved to 5-0 lifetime against Ginepri with a 6-4, 2-6, 6-1, 6-2 win in overcast conditions on Philippe Chatrier court. Djokovic, who hit two aces and 36 winners, now has a 20-5 record at Roland Garros where he reached the 2007 and 2008 semi-finals.

He will next meet Jurgen Melzer, the No. 22 seed from Deutsch-Wagram, who has become the first Austrian to reach the Roland Garros quarter-finals since Thomas Muster in 1998.

"I'm really not a morning person, so it took a lot of time for me to get into the rhythm and warm up basically for the match," said Djokovic of his slow start. "He was very aggressive from the start. I was lucky to pull out that first set in my favour. [In the second set] unfortunately I lost focus.

"But I overcame it [and the] third and fourth [sets] were really, really good. I was aggressive, I was serving well, and playing from all over the court. With that kind of game I performed in the third and fourth set, I think I have a good chance against anybody on the court now."


Monday, 31 May 2010

Singles - Fourth Round
[2] R Nadal (ESP) d [24] T Bellucci (BRA) 62 75 64
[3] N Djokovic (SRB) d R Ginepri (USA) 64 26 61 62
[19] Nicolas Almagro (ESP) d [7] F Verdasco (ESP) 61 46 61 64
[22] Jurgen Melzer (AUT) d T Gabashvili (RUS) 76(6) 46 61 64

Federer beats countryman to set up clash with Soderling, again; French hopes dashed after Tsonga retires against Youzhny on Day 8 in Paris

Defending champion Roger Federer continued his near flawless run at Roland Garros as he defeated Stanislas Wawrinka 6-3, 7-6(5), 6-2 in an all-Swiss fourth-round clash Sunday in Paris.

In a repeat of the 2009 final, Federer will face fifth seed Robin Soderling in the quarter-finals. Federer takes a perfect 12-0 record into the clash with Soderling, having since defeated the right-hander in the fourth round at Wimbledon and the US Open quarter-finals. Should the 28-year-old Federer once again get the better of his Swedish opponent, he will extend his own record of consecutive Grand Slam semi-final appearances by reaching his 24th.

"Obviously I think he's taken advantage of the better ranking he's had since the last year here," said Federer, looking ahead to the clash. "We have experience playing against each other. I've never lost against him, so obviously that's a good record to have. But because of the improvements he's made, he's an opponent not to underestimate. Obviously he beat incredible players on the way to make the finals here last year, so clay seems to also become really his surface of preference, as well."

Soderling said: "It's a quarter-final of a Grand Slam, and I have to play either one of the top four guys. Of course it's tough to play against Roger, but they are all tough matches. I hope for a good match. It's always fun to play against him.

"I remember a few times I played against him when I came pretty close, especially one in Halle a couple years ago when I served and returned really well. I think that's what you have to do against him, because of course he's the best player in the world. But even against him you will always get a few chances. Then you have to take them, because he won't give you any second opportunities. You really have to play well in the important points, which he does so well, and that's why he's so good."

Soderling jumped for joy and punched the air in celebration after completing a comprehensive 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 victory over No. 10 seed Marin Cilic of Croatia in just one hour and 41 minutes.

The 25-year-old Soderling dropped serve in the third game of the first set, before winning four straight games for a 5-2 lead. Cilic, at 4-5, dropped his serve to 15 to gift Soderling the 30-minute opener.

Czech Tomas Berdych, the No. 15 seed, knocked out fourth seed Andy Murray of Scotland 6-4, 7-5, 6-3 in their rain-interrupted clash at Roland Garros on Sunday, which finished in fading light at 9:34 p.m. local time. Berdych will next meet No. 11 seed Mikhail Youzhny of Russia in the quarter-finals.

Murray saved six break points, before Berdych finally broke serve in the seventh game when Murray hit a backhand into the net. He went on to clinch the 31-minute opener with a drop shot winner.

The 24-year-old Berdych took a 2-0 lead in the second set, before Murray responded by winning three straight games. Light rain began to fall in the seventh game, which Murray won with a forehand winner and two aces for a 4-3 lead before conditions became unplayable at 8:03 p.m. local time.

Just as the tarpaulin covers settled on Court Suzanne Lenglen, the rain shower stopped and the duo was able to begin play 36 minutes later. At 5-5, Murray fell to 15/40 and Berdych hit a backhand crosscourt winner off a second serve to clinch the break. Berdych took a two-sets-to-love lead with a service hold to 15.

With the light fading, Murray dropped to 30/40 at 3-3 with his third double fault of the match. The Scot miss-timed a forehand and Berdych won the next two games for victory in two hours and 16 minutes.

Berdych, who is yet to lose a set in the French capital this year, is riding a seven-match winning streak. A runner-up to Andy Roddick at the Sony Ericsson Open, an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament in Miami, the Czech improved to a 29-10 match record on the season.

French male hopes came to an end on Sunday at Roland Garros as No. 8 seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga was forced to retire with a back injury after losing the first set 6-2 to Youzhny.

The 27-year-old Youzhny is through to the Roland Garros quarter-finals for the first time and will contest his first Grand Slam quarter-final since reaching the last eight at the 2008 Australian Open (l. to Tsonga).


Sunday, 30 May 2010

Singles - Fourth Round
[1] R Federer (SUI) d [20] S Wawrinka (SUI) 63 76(5) 62
[15] T Berdych (CZE) d [4] A Murray (GBR) 64 75 63
[5] R Soderling (SWE) d [10] M Cilic (CRO) 64 64 62
[11] M Youzhny (RUS) d [8] J Tsonga (FRA) 62 ret. (back)

Djokovic continues to fourth round on Day 7 in Paris

Third seed Novak Djokovic survived a second-set lapse before coming back to beat No. 31 seed Victor Hanescu of Romania 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 on Saturday for a place in the Roland Garros fourth round.

Djokovic, who hit eight double faults and committed 25 unforced errors in a seesaw performance, came back from a break down in the fourth set to win six games in a row for victory in two hours and 38 minutes.

"Lately I do have periods when I struggle to find rhythm on my serve," said Djokovic. "I think it's more mental. The positive thing about this match is that I overcame a difficult second set and was able to play great tennis in the last two sets."

Djokovic, one of six former Grand Slam champions at this year's championship, hit 44 winners and converted 16 of 28 break point opportunities to record his 24th win of the season (24-7 overall). Hanescu dropped to 4-24 lifetime against Top 10 opponents.

The 23-year-old Serbian will next meet Robby Ginepri, who arrived in Paris 12 days ago expecting to qualify, only to learn that he had gained a direct entry into the main draw and then travelled to Dusseldorf for the ARAG ATP World Team Championships.

He remains the last American standing after reaching the fourth round for the second time in three years after he defeated Spanish No. 16 seed and 2003 titlist Juan Carlos Ferrero 7-5, 6-3, 3-6, 2-6, 6-4 in three hours and 16 minutes.

The 27-year-old Georgian improved to 6-7 lifetime in five-set matches after hitting 43 winners for his fourth victory of the year. The World No. 98 is the first American to beat a Spaniard in five sets at Roland Garros since Pete Sampras defeated Sergi Bruguera in the 1996 second round.

Seventh-seeded Spaniard Fernando Verdasco battled a blister on his racquet hand for a 2-6, 6-3, 6-3, 6-7(1), 6-4 victory over No. 30 seed Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany in four hours and two minutes on Court Suzanne Lenglen.

Verdasco, an ATP World Tour titlist at the SAP Open in San Jose (d. Roddick) and runner-up at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters (l. to Nadal) and the Open de Nice Cote d’Azur (l. to Gasquet) this year, hit 15 unforced errors and committed 61 unforced errors but did enough to reach the Roland Garros last 16 for the fourth consecutive year. He improved to a 33-9 season record.

He goes onto meet Spain's Nicolas Almagro, the No. 19 seed and 2008 quarter-finalist (l. to Nadal), committed just 16 unforced errors in a 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 win over Alexandr Dolgopolov of the Ukraine in one hour and 51 minutes. Almagro's best result this year came at the Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open, when he reached the semi-finals losing to his compatriot Rafael Nadal.


Saturday, 29 May 2010

Singles - Third Round
[2] R Nadal (ESP) d [28] L Hewitt (AUS) 63 64 63
[3] N Djokovic (SRB) d [31] V Hanescu (ROU) 63 36 63 62
T Gabashvili (RUS) d [6] A Roddick (USA) 64 64 62
[7] F Verdasco (ESP) d [30] P Kohlschreiber (GER) 26 63 63 67(1) 64
[22] J Melzer (AUT) d [9] D Ferrer (ESP) 64 60 76(1)
[11] M Youzhny (RUS) d V Troicki (SRB) 26 76(4) 62 63
[24] T Bellucci (BRA) d [14] I Ljubicic (CRO) 76(4) 62 64
R Ginepri (USA) d [16] J Ferrero (ESP) 75 63 36 26 64
[19] N Almagro (ESP) d O Dolgopolov Jr (UKR) 63 63 64

Federer to face Wawrinka after straights sets win; Nadal advances too on Day 6 in Paris

World No. 1 Roger Federer became the 10th player in the Open Era to record at least 700 tour-level match wins when he advanced to the Roland Garros fourth round with a 6-4, 6-0, 6-4 win over German qualifier Julian Reister Friday in Paris.

The Swiss, who has won 62 tour-level titles – including a record 16 Grand Slam championships - trails Boris Becker, in ninth position, by just 13 more wins. American Jimmy Connors holds the Open Era record with 1242 victories, taking in eight major titles.

The defending Roland Garros champion was tested for the first eight games against the No. 165-ranked Reister, before breaking through with two straight games to take the first set. From there, Reister was able to offer little resistance, only winning a further four games as Federer raced to victory in 93 minutes. Federer struck 34 winners, compared to just 10 from Reister, and did not face a break point.

Victory marked Federer’s 150th clay-court victory, a tally that has seen him win nine clay-court titles, including completing the career Grand Slam by lifting the trophy at Roland Garros for the first time last year (d. Soderling).

"From a ranking standpoint, I haven't played top guys yet,” said Federer, assessing his form. “But [I've played] dangerous players, who are skillful on this surface and a guy who just won five matches here in Paris, so you can never underestimate those kind of players. With my own form I'm very happy. I'm ready to mix up my game playing aggressively. I'm being broken very few times and that's obviously always a good thing looking ahead."

Federer next will face Stanislas Wawrinka, with whom he won an Olympic gold medal in doubles two years ago. The No. 20-seeded Wawrinka broke serve six times and hit 44 winners as he defeated Italian Fabio Fognini 6-3, 6-4, 6-1 in one hour and 52 minutes. Federer takes a 4-1 lead into the clash, although Wawrinka’s lone victory did come on clay last year in Monte-Carlo.

"I've never played against him during a Grand Slam, so that's a bit of a difference,” said Federer. “He's really fit, and we have the same physical trainer. We know what we do. We've practised quite often together. We know it's going to be a tough match, so I'm very happy about this challenge, because he's a great player. I'll have to play great tennis, also."

In remaining second-round action, seventh seed Fernando Verdasco overcame a third set blip to defeat Frenchman Florent Serra 6-2, 6-2, 0-6, 6-4. In a match featuring 12 service breaks, Verdasco capitalised on seven of 18 opportunities and struck nearly three times as many winners as he did unforced errors (36-13) to wrap up victory in two hours and 15 minutes.

The 26-year-old Verdasco came into Roland Garros playing arguably the best tennis of his life and is looking to advance past the fourth round in Paris for the first time. The Spaniard reached his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 final in Monte-Carlo (l. to Nadal), captured his fifth ATP World Tour title in Barcelona (d. Soderling) and last week finished runner-up to Richard Gasquet in his 13th ATP World Tour final in Nice.

The left-hander next will face German No. 30 seed Philipp Kohlschreiber, who accounted for Italian Andreas Seppi 7-6(5), 6-3, 7-5 to reach the third round for the second year in a row. Last year at that stage he stunned Novak Djokovic, before losing out to Tommy Robredo.

Former champion Juan Carlos Ferrero came through a testing all-Spanish encounter with Pere Riba to prevail 7-6(5), 6-7(13), 6-2, 6-2. The No. 16 seed, who lifted the Roland Garros trophy in 2003, next will face American Robby Ginepri, who also dropped one set in advancing past Italy’s Potito Starace 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-3.

Four-time former Roland Garros champion Rafael Nadal cruised into the third round Friday with a 6-2, 6-2, 6-3 victory over Argentine Horacio Zeballos. The match is one of 14 second-round matches to be carried over from Thursday, when rain severely delayed play.

In much sunnier conditions Friday on Court Philippe Chatrier, Nadal needed just one hour and 45 minutes to dispatch the No. 44-ranked Zeballos, who was voted ATP Newcomer of the Year in 2009. The Spaniard hit 23 winners to just 12 unforced errors and capitalised on six of 10 break point chances, while only losing serve once in a late comeback attempt by Zeballos.

"[Today] was a little bit of improvement," said Nadal. "That's always important to play a little bit better every day. Today I'm happy for the victory. Never easy. He's a good player. He's a young player and he's coming well. So it's a good win for me, and I'm happy for that. But I hope to keep improving."


Friday, 28 May 2010

Singles - Third Round
[1] R Federer (SUI) d J Reister (GER) 64 60 64
[4] A Murray (GBR) d [25] M Baghdatis (CYP) 62 63 06 62
[5] R Soderling (SWE) d [29] A Montanes (ESP) 64 75 26 63
[8] J Tsonga (FRA) d T De Bakker (NED) 67(6) 76(4) 63 64
[10] M Cilic (CRO) d L Mayer (ARG) 64 36 75 67(5) 64
[11] M Youzhny (RUS) vs V Troicki (SRB)
[15] T Berdych (CZE) d [17] J Isner (USA) 62 62 61
[20] S Wawrinka (SUI) d F Fognini (ITA) 63 64 61

Singles - Second Round
[2] R Nadal (ESP) d H Zeballos (ARG) 62 62 63
[3] N Djokovic (SRB) d K Nishikori (JPN) 61 64 64
[7] F Verdasco (ESP) d F Serra (FRA) 62 62 06 64
[9] D Ferrer (ESP) d X Malisse (BEL) 62 62 20 ret. (left hamstring)
O Dolgopolov Jr (UKR) d [12] F Gonzalez (CHI) 63 64 63
[14] I Ljubicic (CRO) d M Fish (USA) 62 67(8) 46 62 10-8
[16] JC Ferrero (ESP) d P Riba (ESP) 76(5) 67(13) 62 62
[19] N Almagro (ESP) d S Darcis (BEL) 63 60 75
[22] J Melzer (AUT) d N Mahut (FRA) 61 36 76(7) 64
[24] T Bellucci (BRA) d P Andujar (ESP) 16 63 26 64 62
[28] L Hewitt (AUS) d D Istomin (UZB) 16 63 64 26 62
[30] P Kohlschreiber (GER) d A Seppi (ITA) 76(5) 63 75
[31] V Hanescu (ROU) d Y Schukin (KAZ) 63 64 62
R Ginepri (USA) d P Starace (ITA) 36 64 63 63

Roddick wins in four sets, Murray through in four too on Day 5 in Paris

In fading light at Roland Garros, on a rain-soaked Thursday, fourth seed American Andy Roddick reached the third round for the third time in nine appearances.

The sixth seed hit 13 aces and 67 winners to battle past Blaz Kavcic, a Slovenian qualifier, 6-3, 5-7, 6-4, 6-2 in just under three hours. Kavcic became the first Slovenian male to break into the Top 100 of the South African Airways 2010 ATP Rankings in March this year.

Moments before Roddick’s win, World No. 92 Fabio Fognini completed a remarkable 2-6, 4-6, 7-5, 6-4, 9-7 comeback victory over French No. 13 seed Gael Monfils.

Resuming play at 5-5 in the deciding set, after Monfils had saved three match points at 4-5 in fading light on Wednesday night, Fognini wrapped up the 86-minute fifth set.

Another winner from a match carried over from Wednesday night was fourth seed Andy Murray, who overcame 30-year-old Argentine Juan Ignacio Chela 6-2, 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-2 in three hours and 30 minutes. The match resumed play at 3-3 in the second set this afternoon. Murray hit 75 winners overall, converting seven of 16 break point opportunities.

John Isner joined Roddick in the third round for the first time, after the American No. 17 seed hit 38 aces and 83 winners past Marco Chiudinelli of Switzerland in a 6-7(3), 7-6(3), 7-6(7), 6-4 victory over three hours and 11 minutes.

Isner, the RICOH ATP MatchFacts ace leader this year, has now hit 30 or more aces on nine occasions in his career. The most he hit was 39 aces when he lost to Slovakian Dominik Hrbaty at the 2009 Australian Open.

Cypriot No. 25 seed Marcos Baghdatis and Russian Teimuraz Gabashvili also beat the rain showers.


Thursday, 27 May 2010

Play eventually got underway at 3:30 p.m. local time Thursday and matches were suspended on three occasions. Many matches have been rescheduled on Friday.

Singles - Second Round
[4] A Murray (GBR) d J Chela (ARG) 62 67(5) 63 62
[6] A Roddick (USA) d B Kavcic (SLO) 63 57 64 62
F Fognini (ITA) d [13] G Monfils (FRA) 26 46 75 64 97
[14] I Ljubicic (CRO) level with M Fish (USA) 62 67(8) - bad light suspends play
[17] J Isner (USA) d M Chuidinelli (SUI) 67(3) 76(3) 76(7) 64
P Andujar (ESP) level with [24] T Bellucci (BRA) 61 36 - bad light suspends play
[25] M Baghdatis (CYP) d M Granollers (ESP) 46 61 75 62
T Gabashvili (RUS) d G Zemlja (SLO) 63 61 61

Nadal advances after winning to French wildcard on Day 3 in Paris

Four-time former champion Rafael Nadal opened his Roland Garros campaign with a commanding 6-2, 6-2, 6-2 victory over 18-year-old French wild card Gianni Mina Tuesday in Paris.

The Spaniard came into the clay-court Grand Slam in red-hot form and was more than a match for the youngest player in the draw, Mina, who was making his debut in the main draw of a Grand Slam championship.

In front of a packed Court Suzanne Lenglen, last year’s junior boy’s finalist, Mina, impressed the French crowd with his attacking style, but ultimately paid the price for being unable to convert any of the nine break points he created on Nadal’s serve. The second-seeded Nadal was far more potent on his opportunities, breaking serve six times as his greater experience of playing the big points shone through and he wrapped up victory in two hours and 23 minutes.

"First day here is always a little bit more nervous than usual," said Nadal. "I think I played bad, but I won anyway, without problems, so that's always important and positive thing. But I think I can do it a lot better, much better next round."

Former World No. 1 Andy Roddick rallied from two-sets-to-one down Tuesday as he battled past Finland’s Jarkko Nieminen 6-2, 4-6, 4-6, 7-6(4), 6-3 in a thrilling first-round encounter at Roland Garros.

The American was contesting his first tournament since winning the Sony Ericsson Open in early April and narrowly avoided a fifth first-round exit at Roland Garros.

Roddick looked to be on his way to a comfortable win after assuming a one-set lead, but Nieminen fought back with one break of the famed Roddick serve in each of the second and third sets to establish a two-sets-to-one lead.

"There was a lot of ugliness out there today. But at the end of it, I get to play again," said Roddick. "So that's that's all you go into a day hoping to do, and I got through today.

"After Madrid (where he withdrew ill), I did pretty much everything I could to be prepared here. But I didn't play my best today, and I definitely wasn't match tough. I've been saying all week if I can get through the first one or the second one, then maybe I will start hitting my stride and playing a little bit better. But it's just a matter of surviving to advance. Today I guess I found a way to get through it."


Tuesday, 25 May 2010

Singles - First Round
[2] R Nadal (ESP) d G Mina (FRA) 62 62 62
[6] A Roddick (USA) d J Nieminen (FIN) 62 46 46 76(4) 63
[7] F Verdasco (ESP) d I Kunitsyn (RUS) 64 62 62
[9] D Ferrer (ESP) d D Guez (FRA) 61 63 61
[16] J Ferrero (ESP) d P Cuevas (URU) 64 63 61
R Ginepri (USA) d [18] S Querrey (USA) 46 76(3) 64 62
[22] J Melzer (AUT) d D Sela (ISR) 75 62 64
G Zemlja (SLO) d [26] J Monaco (ARG) 76(6) 36 75 63
[28] L Hewitt (AUS) d J Chardy (FRA) 75 60 64
[30] P Kohlschreiber (GER) d K Beck (SVK) 76(7) 61 61
N Mahut (FRA) d M Zverev (GER) 61 62 64
P Riba (ESP) d M Gicquel (FRA) 63 62 76(5)
A Seppi (ITA) d S Ventura (ESP) 75 64 75
B Kavcic (SLO) d E Schwank (ARG) 36 63 75 40 ret. (heat stroke)
D Istomin (UZB) d B Becker (GER) 75 75 63
F Serra (FRA) d M Russell (USA) 64 60 61
T Gabashvili (RUS) d D Koellerer (AUT) 62 62 61
H Zeballos (ARG) d M Fischer (AUT) 76(6) 67(8) 16 64 86
P Starace (ITA) d I Marchenko (UKR) 67(5) 61 63 63
X Malisse (BEL) vs S Greul (GER) - To Finish 64 76(7) 1-1

Federer begins defending campaign with straight sets win in Paris

World No. 1 Roger Federer opened his Roland Garros title defence Monday with a 6-4, 6-1, 6-2 victory over Australian Peter Luczak in very warm, sunny conditions on Court Philippe Chatrier.

The Swiss, who defeated Swede Robin Soderling to win the Roland Garros crown for the first time last year, was largely untroubled in advancing to the second round. The No. 71-ranked Luczak provided strong resistance in the opening eight games, before Federer broke through the 30 year old’s defences in the 10th game to seal a one-set lead.

From there, it was largely one-way traffic for Federer. The top seed broke serve twice in the fourth and sixth games of the second set to secure a commanding two-set lead and earned his breakthrough in the third set in the fifth game with a driven forehand to force the error from Luczak. Federer then broke serve once more in the seventh game before serving out victory in one hour and 48 minutes.

“I finally got a chance [to break serve] at 5-4 [in the first set], so it was a good first set for me, anyway, without any hiccups on my own serve,” said Federer. “After that things were a bit easier. He had to push it a bit more. I could relax a bit more, and then the scoreline changed and towards the end I played some great drop shots. So it was like a perfect match to get off the French Open campaign, really.”

For the first time in nine years, Federer came into Roland Garros without having won a clay-court title in the lead-up; his best effort was a runner-up finish to Rafael Nadal at the Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open two weeks ago. The 16-time Grand Slam championship winner, who is bidding to achieve the calendar Grand Slam this year after victory at the Australian Open (d. Murray), next will face Colombian Alejandro Falla.

There were audible gasps after in-form Frenchman Richard Gasquet was selected to face World No. 4 Andy Murray at last week’s Roland Garros draw ceremony, and the first-round match lived up to its blockbuster billing as Britain’s top title hope recovered from two sets and a break down to prevail 4-6, 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-2, 6-1.

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Former World No. 7 Gasquet had entered his home country Slam in dangerous form, following title wins at the Bordeaux Challenger and the Open de Nice Cote d'Azur the past two weeks, and seemed poised to do some damage in his first Roland Garros appearance since 2007.

After securing the first two sets against Murray, Gasquet broke for a 3-2 lead in the third set only to drop serve for the first time in the next game. It proved the opening that the Scot needed – he went on to break the beleaguered Frenchman six more times as he completed the comeback in just over four hours.

"[I was] really, really tired, so it's hard in Grand Slam especially against Murray," said Gasquet. "He's always fighting, fighting, putting all the balls in the court. He's running well. I was close, but I didn't... It was really, really hard for me to finish the match. He played well, and in a Grand Slam you have to be 100 percent to win, especially against Andy."


Monday, 24 May 2010

Singles - First Round
[1] R Federer (SUI) d P Luczak (AUS) 64 61 62
[3] N Djokovic (SRB) d E Korolev (KAZ) 61 36 61 63
[4] A Murray (GBR) d R Gasquet (FRA) 46 67(5) 64 62 61
[12] F Gonzalez (CHI) d T Alves (BRA) 62 46 64 64
[13] G Monfils (FRA) d *[LL] D Kindlmann (GER) 63 75 67(5) 62
[14] I Ljubicic (CRO) d Y Lu (TPE) 76(5) 75 63
[15] T Berdych (CZE) d J Aguilar (CHI) 76(7) 63 61
[17] J Isner (USA) d A Golubev (KAZ) 64 63 62
[19] N Almagro (ESP) d R Haase (NED) 64 36 46 76(3) 64
[20] S Wawrinka (SUI) d J Hajek (CZE) 61 63 63
V Troicki (SRB) d [21] T Robredo (ESP) 64 64 63
[24] T Bellucci (BRA) d M Llodra (FRA) 64 62 62
[25] M Baghdatis (CYP) d J Witten (USA) 63 64 63
J Reister (GER) d [27] Feliciano Lopez (ESP) 61 76(5) 62
[31] V Hanescu (ROU) d O Hernandez (ESP) 61 16 64 63
O Rochus (BEL) d B Paire (FRA) 36 76(4) 64 75
M Granollers (ESP) d P Mathieu (FRA) 36 63 30 ret. (digestive problems)
T Dent (USA) d N Lapentti (ECU) 63 64 76(3)
D Gimeno-Traver (ESP) d D Tursunov (RUS) 61 61 61
C Ball (AUS) d P Petzschner (GER) 36 67(4) 62 75 97
Y Schukin (KAZ) d R Ram (USA) 36 64 62 64
K Nishikori (JPN) d S Giraldo (COL) 26 46 76(3) 62 64
O Dolgopolov Jr (UKR) d A Clement (FRA) 36 76(5) 36 63 63
P Andujar (ESP) d S Bolelli (ITA) 76(2) 64 62
A Beck (GER) d P Lorenzi (ITA) 46 63 62 62
L Mayer (ARG) d S Stakhovsky (UKR) 76(4) 63 62
M Fish (USA) d M Berrer (GER) 57 64 36 61 63
S Darcis (BEL) d K Vliegen (BEL) 61 64 64
L Lacko (SVK) d M Yani (USA) - 46 76(5) 76(4) 67(5) 12-10

*replaced F Mayer (GER) - illness

Tsonga survives first round challenge among home crowd in Paris

The Philippe Chatrier crowd was treated to a thrilling first-round match on Sunday at Roland Garros as home hope Jo-Wilfried Tsonga battled past German Daniel Brands 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-7(2), 7-5.

The eighth-seeded Tsonga trailed by a break of serve at 2-1 in the final set, but was able to level on his fourth break-back point opportunity in the fourth game as Brands netted a forehand. He was then denied on a match point chance on Brands’ serve in the 10th game before converting his third opportunity in the 12th game as a physically tired Brands drove a backhand long after three hours and 43 minutes of pulsating action.

"I was not at the top of my game," Tsonga said afterwards. "I was not at the top of my shape with regards to running. Many things. But what's important is winning it at the end of the day."

It was Tsonga’s third win in three five-set matches; he won his first two attempts in back-to-back thrillers against Nicolas Almagro and Novak Djokovic en route to the Australian Open semi-finals (l. to Federer) in January. The Le Mans native posted his best result at Roland Garros last year, when he reached the fourth round (l. to del Potro).

In an all-French second-round encounter, Tsonga will face No. 130-ranked Josselin Ouanna, who struck 64 winners as he defeated Poland’s Lukasz Kubot 7-6(5), 6-7(4), 6-2, 6-4 in three hours and 35 minutes. The 24-year-old Ouanna, who won just his fourth tour-level match of the season, also found his best tennis at Roland Garros last year, when he defeated Marat Safin in five sets to reach the third round (l. to F. Gonzalez).

A third Frenchman advanced as World No. 39 Julien Benneteau produced an exceptional display to oust in-form Latvian Ernests Gulbis. Benneteau had outplayed the No. 23 seed to establish a 6-4, 6-2, 1-0 lead when Gulbis was forced to retire with a right-thigh injury, which he suffered when already trailing by a set and a break.

The 21-year-old Gulbis, a quarter-finalist in Paris two years ago, came into Roland Garros on the strength of two quarter-final appearances in Barcelona and Madrid and a semi-final run in Rome (d. Federer, l. to Nadal), but could not replicate his high level of tennis against Benneteau for the first set and a half, before he suffered the thigh injury that further impeded him.

"Of course I'm disappointed," said Gulbis. "I prepared really good for this tournament, but it's okay. It's a Grand Slam, it's a big tournament. But I have maybe nine more, eight more years of my career, I will have 20 Grand Slams in front of me, and if I concentrate on one, which wasn't that good, I will get nothing, but it's okay."


Sunday, 23 May 2010

Singles - First Round
[5] R Soderling (SWE) d L Recouderc (FRA) 60 62 63
[8] J Tsonga (FRA) d D Brands (GER) 46 63 62 67(2) 75
[10] M Cilic (CRO) d R Mello (BRA) 61 36 63 61
[11] M Youzhny (RUS) d M Przysiezny (POL) 61 60 64
J Benneteau (FRA) d [23] E Gulbis (LAT) 64 62 10 ret. (right thigh)
[29] A Montanes (ESP) d S Galvani (ITA) 63 63 63
[32] G Garcia-Lopez (ESP) d R Schuettler (GER) 75 64 62
J Ouanna (FRA) d L Kubot (POL) 76(5) 67(4) 62 64
T De Bakker (NED) d O Patience (FRA) 64 57 64 63
T Kamke (GER) d S Robert (FRA) 60 64 63
A Falla (COL) d J Tipsarevic (SRB) 61 62 63
M Chiudinelli (SUI) d S Devvarman (IND) 63 36 63 36 63
J Chela (ARG) d R Sweeting (USA) 60 64 76(4)
F Fognini (ITA) d N Massu (CHI) 61 36 26 63 63
E Roger-Vasselin (FRA) d K Anderson (RSA) 16 46 63 76(4) 61
M Yani (USA) vs L Lacko (SVK) 64 67(5) 67(4) 76(5) 8-8 - play suspended

Verdasco advances; Soderling ousted in Nice

ATP World Tour No. 9 Fernando Verdasco was in ruthless mood Wednesday as he opened his campaign at the inaugural Open de Nice Côte d’Azur with a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Frenchman Florent Serra to reach the quarter-finals of the ATP World Tour 250 clay-court tennis tournament.

From trailing 1-2 in the first set, Verdasco won eight of the next nine games to establish a 6-2, 3-1 lead. He then secured one more service break in the seventh game of the second set before closing out victory in 66 minutes.

The second-seeded Verdasco improved to a 28-8 mark on the season, including 16-4 on clay. The Spanish left-hander has been one of the most in-form players during the European clay-court circuit, reaching his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 final in Monte-Carlo (l. to Nadal), capturing his fifth ATP World Tour title in Barcelona and defeating Novak Djokovic en route to the Rome semi-finals (l. to Ferrer).

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World No. 29 Marcos Baghdatis reached his fourth ATP World Tour quarter-final of the year as he cruised past German Simon Greul 6-3, 6-2. The fifth-seeded Cypriot converted three of five break point chances and was strong on serve, surrendering just nine points on his delivery to seal victory in 66 minutes. The win was Baghdatis’ 24th of the year, surpassing last year’s total of 23. He won his fourth ATP World Tour title in Sydney (d. Gasquet) and has posted semi-final showings in Dubai (l. to Djokovic) and Munich (Cilic) two weeks ago.

For a place in the semi-finals Baghdatis will face Argentine Leonardo Mayer, who broke serve three times to oust fourth-seeded Brazilian Thomaz Bellucci 6-4, 6-1 in one hour and 31 minutes. World No. 59 Mayer, who lost to Bellucci three weeks ago in Rome, is through to his third ATP World Tour quarter-final of the season.

World No. 60 Olivier Rochus dealt a blow to Robin Soderling’s Roland Garros preparations as he defeated the 2009 runner-up 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 in the Nice second round. It is the third straight defeat the No. 7-ranked Soderling has endured on the ATP World Tour, having lost in the third round in Rome and suffered an opening-round exit in Madrid last week.


Wednesday, 19 May 2010

Singles - Second Round
O Rochus (BEL) d [1] R Soderling (SWE) 26 64 64
[2] F Verdasco (ESP) d F Serra (FRA) 62 62
[3] G Monfils (FRA) d M Chiudinelli (SUI) 16 61 64
L Mayer (ARG) d [4] T Bellucci (BRA) 64 61
[5] M Baghdatis (CYP) d S Greul (GER) 63 62
P Starace (ITA) d [8] L Kubot (POL) 63 64
R Gasquet (FRA) d A Dolgopolov (UKR) 60 26 63

Nadal makes history with win over Federer in final of Madrid

At the age of 23 years and 11 months, Rafael Nadal won a record-breaking 18th ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title as he defeated rival Roger Federer 6-4, 7-6(5), in a No. 1 vs. No. 2 final Sunday at the Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open.

Watched by Queen Sofia of Spain, Nadal also became the first player to win all three ATP World Tour Masters 1000 clay court tournaments in the same year, having triumphed at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters (d. Verdasco) and the Internazionali BNL d’Italia (d. Ferrer) last month.

"Well to be the first player to [win all three ATP World Tour Masters 1000 clay-court tournaments] is unbelievable," said Nadal. "I would never have dreamed that I would be able to do so. I’m very happy to have won here and it is especially important to have won in Madrid.

"Beating Roger is always a special occasion. It’s always a very difficult match. And of course winning at home is very special against anyone. So beating him at home is amazing; it’s a dream for me. For me it’s a dream to have won the three [tournaments] before Roland Garros. I want to enjoy that now and we’ll see what happens in two weeks."

As champion, the second-seeded Nadal received 1000 South African Airways 2010 ATP Ranking points and was already assured of returning to the No. 2 ranking by reaching the final in Madrid. The Top 8 players at the end of the season will qualify for the prestigious Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, to be held at The O2 in London from 21-28 November.

In their first clash for a year, Nadal and Federer, who had both come through three-set tussles in the semi-finals, struggled to find their form in the opening exchanges of their 21st meeting. Breaks were exchanged in the third and fourth games before Nadal broke decisively in the seventh game as Federer paid the price for a game littered with unforced errors. The second-seeded Nadal then saved four break points as he served out the set, finishing with a hooked forehand passing shot past the stranded Federer.

With a one-set advantage, Nadal looked to have taken a firm grip on the match as he broke Federer in the opening game of the second set, wearing the Swiss down with his relentless attack that forced errors from the World No. 1’s racquet.

Nadal was unable to shut out Federer out. The determined Swiss immediately levelled and when Nadal again broke to lead 3-2, Federer once again pegged him back with a delightful mix of rifling backhands and forehand drop shots.

In the subsequent tie-break, Federer twice squandered a mini-break lead and found himself two match points down as his backhand broke down under relentless pressure from Nadal. The Swiss was able to save the first with a courageous deep forehand into the corner, but could not deny Nadal on the second as he miss-fired to hand the Mallorcan victory after two hours and 10 minutes.

"Neither of us played a perfect match, we both made mistakes," reflected Nadal. "At times we did play well but I think we know each other so much that we are only focusing on how to make each other play worse. I go for his backhand and that makes the match more strategic and it's been quite an exciting match. It was a very exciting match, a very level match, as is usually the case, and playing against Roger is a very special experience and quite an honour.”


Sunday, 16 May 2010

Singles - Final
[2] R Nadal (ESP) d [1] R Federer (SUI) 64 76(5)

Federer gets revenge over Gulbis; Nadal getting closer to Masters title record in Madrid

World No. 1 Roger Federer, the 2006 and 2009 Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open champion, avenged his recent Rome defeat to fast-rising Ernests Gulbis on Friday, with a 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 victory for a place in the semi-finals at the Caja Magica, venue of the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament.

The 28-year-old Swiss superstar, who will meet Spaniard David Ferrer Saturday, is attempting to clinch his 17th ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title, tying him with his rival Rafael Nadal and Andre Agassi.

Should he lift his third Madrid title on Sunday, he will equal Bjorn Borg’s record of 63 tour-level trophies for No. 5 on the all-time Open Era titles list.

Federer got off to a sluggish start, but after falling a break down in the second set he found his rhythm and erased memories of his 2-6, 6-1, 7-5 loss to Gulbis at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome two weeks ago.

Federer said that he was particularly pleased to not suffer consecutive defeats to Gulbis. “I think that's one of the toughest things in tennis: When you lose to a player and you have to play him again in the next couple weeks. There's not much a change in playing styles or practice... all he did was sleep 10 times. And off you go and play each other again. It's tough, so that's why I'm particularly happy that I was able to come up with the proper game plan today. And even though I got off with a slow start, I managed to come through.

Second seed and 2005 titlist Rafael Nadal outplayed No. 12 seed Gael Monfils of France for a 6-1, 6-3 victory at the Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open on Friday to keep alive his chances of capturing a record 18th ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title.

Nadal, who is second behind his Spanish compatriot David Ferrer for match wins this year (29-4 record), is now one victory from regaining No. 2 in the South African Airways 2010 ATP Rankings. On Saturday, the 23 year old will meet his unseeded countryman Nicolas Almagro.

"In the first set, I played at a very high level," said Nadal, who is attempting to become the first player to win all three ATP World Tour clay-court tournaments in one year. "This is the toughest tournament for me, the conditions are the most difficult of the year for me on clay, but I'm fine."


Friday, May 14, 2010

Singles - Quarterfinals
(1) Roger Federer (SUI) d. Ernests Gulbis (LAT) 36 61 64
(2) Rafael Nadal (ESP) d. (12) Gael Monfils (FRA) 61 63
(9) David Ferrer )ESP) d. (3) Andy Murray (GBR) 75 63
Nicolas Almagro (ESP) d. Jurgen Melzer (AUT) 63 61

Federer opens Madrid campaign with win; can meet countryman Wawrinka in third round

After a surprise semi-final loss to Albert Montanes in Estoril last week, World No. 1 Roger Federer insisted he was not worried about his form going into Roland Garros and backed up his statement with a 6-2, 7-6(4) win over Benjamin Becker in his opening match at the Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open Tuesday.

Federer, who is the defending champion at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 clay-court tournament after defeating Rafael Nadal in the final last year, is this week looking to reach his first final since capturing his 16th Grand Slam title at the Australian Open (d. Murray).

The Swiss broke twice in the second and eighth games to seal a one-set lead, but could not find a way through Becker’s defences in the second set and was denied on a match point in the 12th game before the German forced a tie-break. Federer improved to a 7-4 record in tie-breaks this year, though, as he sealed victory in one hour and 21 minutes.

"There was a lot of good serving but today was important to play a clean match and that is what I was able to do," said Federer. "I served solidly, I returned great and that combination is tough for the opponent. I could have made it a bit easier for myself in the second set I had some chances but that´s the sort of stuff I´ve got to get through and it was important for me to win the break and close it out."

A possible third-round opponent for Federer is his countryman and Olympic gold-medal winning doubles partner Stanislas Wawrinka, who defeated Marcel Granollers 6-4, 6-4 in a match featuring 10 breaks of serve. World No. 23 Wawrinka must first face Leonardo Mayer in the second round.

ATP World Tour No. 9 Fernando Verdasco impressed his hometown crowd as he made smooth progress to the third round of the Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open with a 7-6(5), 6-3 victory over Croatian Ivo Karlovic on Wednesday evening in the Spanish capital.

The Spaniard, who reached the quarter-finals in Madrid for the first time last year (l. to Nadal), withstood 11 aces from Karlovic’s racquet and saved both break points he faced to seal victory in one hour and 39 minutes. Victory for Verdasco stopped a three-match losing streak against Karlovic and reduced his head-to-head deficit against the 6’10’’ Croatian to 2-3.


Tuesday, 11 May, 2010

Singles - Second Round
[1] R Federer (SUI) d B Becker (GER) 62 76(4)
[6] F Verdasco (ESP) d I Karlovic (CRO) 76(5) 63

Singles - First Round
[10] M Youzhny (RUS) d L Lacko (SVK) 26 63 61
**[LL] M Fish (USA) d *[LL] M Russell (USA) 62 76(1)
[13] J Isner (USA) d [Q] C Rochus (BEL) 57 62 62
[Q] D Munoz-De La Nava (ESP) d [14] S Querrey (USA) 67(3) 63 75 - saved 1 M.P.
[15] S Wawrinka (SUI) d [WC] M Granollers (ESP) 64 64
[16] T Bellucci (BRA) d [WC] P Riba (ESP) 76(5) 61
P Petzschner (GER) d F Fognini (ITA) 61 46 75
E Gulbis (LAT) d A Montanes (ESP) 75 61
M Baghdatis (CYP) d M Chiudinelli (SUI) 63 64
E Schwank (ARG) d P Mathieu (FRA) 63 63
G Garcia-Lopez (ESP) d [Q] D Gimeno-Traver (ESP) 63 64
[Q] J Chela (ARG) d P Cuevas (URU) 20 ret. (back)
V Hanescu (ROU) d I Andreev (RUS) 36 65 ret. (right ankle)

*replaced [11] T Berdych (CZE) - right hip
**replaced [WC] D Nalbandian (ARG) - hamstring

Ferrer wins on Day 1 in Madrid

Ninth-seeded Spaniard David Ferrer posted a 6-3, 7-6(2) victory over Frenchman Jeremy Chardy on opening Sunday at the Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open – the third and final clay-court ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament of the season.

Though Ferrer dropped serve three times during the one-hour, 50-minute match, he capitalised on five of his 18 break point opportunities to defeat the 43rd-ranked Frenchman for the third time in four meetings.

World No. 12 Ferrer has been in impressive form on clay this season, leading the circuit with a 24-4 record on the surface. He has reached the semi-finals or better in his five previous clay-court tournaments in 2010, with his losses coming each time to the eventual champion.

He earned his place in back-to-back finals during the Latin American Golden Swing, finishing runner-up to Juan Carlos Ferrero in Buenos Aires before clinching the Acapulco title with victory over his countryman the following week, and last week advanced to his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 final in Rome (l. to Nadal). He also was a semi-finalist in Monte-Carlo (l. to Nadal) and Barcelona (l. to Verdasco).

Ferrer will next face the winner between Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis and Swiss Marco Chiudinelli.

Sixth seed Fernando Verdasco will face big-serving Ivo Karlovic in the second round after the Croatian struck 19 aces in a 6-4, 7-6(5) victory over Kazakhstan’s Evgeny Korolev. World No. 33 Karlovic has a 3-1 record against Verdasco, although this will be their first meeting on clay.


Sunday, 9 May, 2010

Singles - First Round
[9] D Ferrer (ESP) d J Chardy (FRA) 63 76(2)
I Karlovic (CRO) d E Korolev (KAZ) 64 76(5)
J Monaco (ARG) d S Greul (GER) 61 61

Nadal clinches Rome and 17th ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title after win against countryman Ferrer

World No. 3 Rafael Nadal won a record-equalling 17th ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title Sunday when he overcame fellow Spaniard David Ferrer 7-5, 6-2 in a rain-hit final at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome.

At the age of just 23, Nadal has drawn level with the retired Andre Agassi, who has held the record of 17 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 titles since winning his last of the coveted shields in Cincinnati in 2004, aged 34. Roger Federer is in second place with 16 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 titles.

"I am 23 and sure 17 is a very important number for me," said Nadal. "There are some tournaments coming up – Madrid is coming up soon – and so I'm going to try to keep winning, but these tournaments are very difficult and some of the best players in the world are there."

Nadal won his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title at the age of 18, when he defeated Guillermo Coria in the 2005 Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters final. Two weeks ago he became the first player in the Open Era to win a tournament title for six straight years when he crushed Fernando Verdasco in Monte-Carlo to claim his 16th ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title. Overall in ATP World Tour Masters 1000 action, he has compiled a 175-35 match record and has a 17-6 mark in finals.

As the winner, Nadal received 1000 South African Airways 2010 ATP Ranking points and €434,000, while Ferrer, who finished runner-up in his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 final, earned 600 ranking points and €203,000 in prize money.

With two ATP World Tour Masters 1000 titles to his name already in 2010, Nadal has made a strong early claim for a place in the elite eight-man field at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, to be held at The O2 in London from 21-28 November.

"The important thing is that I won a very important tournament and finally I am very happy," said Nadal. "Probably I didn't play as well as Monte Carlo. I played well, but not as well as Monte Carlo, but the important thing is winning."

The score was level at 4-4 in the first set when the light drizzle that had been a constant accompaniment fell harder and play was suspended for the first time. On the resumption, Ferrer held for a 5-4 lead before putting Nadal under pressure with a 30-0 lead on his Davis Cup teammate’s serve. With the confidence of a 10-3 career lead over Ferrer, though, Nadal quickly turned the situation around, holding serve before converting his sixth break point chance on the Ferrer serve for a 6-5 lead.

Aggressive play off Nadal’s second serve earned Ferrer his only break point of the match as the No. 3 seed served for the set, but the left-hander quickly alleviated the threat with a swinging serve out wide and went on to close out the one-set lead.

Looking to build on his lead as the weather began to worsen once more, Nadal took advantage as Ferrer went for too much in his bid to dictate the points and as the right-hander over-hit a backhand, Nadal secured a 2-1 lead.

At that point, play was once again halted due to rain and it was over an hour and a half later before the players were called back to court to finish the match. Keen to not delay any longer, Nadal went for yet more aggression when play resumed and the pressure told on Ferrer in the seventh game. Two double faults from the right-hander proved costly as Nadal clinched a 5-2 lead and, ruthless as ever, Nadal quickly sealed victory on serve after one hour and 44 minutes.

"After the rain, the court was slower and of course Rafa is in form, especially in difficult moments and it's difficult to beat him," said Ferrer. "But I was pleased with my game."

"This is the first time with a Masters 1000 final in Rome and I am happy with that," said Ferrer. "I am happy with my season this year; it is important for me and for my confidence for my next tournaments."


Sunday, 2 May, 2010

Singles - Final
[3] R Nadal (ESP) d [13] D Ferrer (ESP) 75 62

Nadal through; to face Gulbis in semis in Rome

World No. 3 Rafael Nadal appears nigh on unstoppable in his pursuit of a fifth title at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia and a record-equalling 17th ATP World Tour Masters 1000 shield. Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka played a high level of tennis that would have troubled most players, but was allowed just five games as Nadal raced to a 6-4, 6-1 victory Friday in the quarter-finals in Rome.

Since making his 2010 clay-court debut at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters two weeks ago, Nadal has not surrendered more than six games in a match and is powering towards the defence of his title at the Foro Italico to join his triumph in Monte-Carlo (d. Verdasco).

The Spaniard was held on serve until the 10th game of his clash with Wawrinka, when he engineered a way through the Swiss player’s defences to snatch a one-set lead. The second set was a more comfortable affair for Nadal, who broke serve in the second and sixth games to seal victory in 90 minutes. Nadal is unbroken in three matches this week, saving eight break points in total.

"I think that in the first set today I was in trouble for a long time," reflected Nadal. "He was doing his serve much better than I was and I only won one point before 5-4 and for the whole game, my serve was hard. The important thing was that I was very concentrated because he was playing very well and perhaps better than me in the beginning. But from the 5-4, I started to play it well.


Friday, 30 April, 2010

Singles - Quarter-finals
[6] F Verdasco (ESP) d [2] N Djokovic (SRB) 76(4) 36 64
[3] R Nadal (ESP) d S Wawrinka (SUI) 64 61
[13] D Ferrer (ESP) d [7] J Tsonga (FRA) 64 61
E Gulbis (LAT) d F Lopez (ESP) 76(6) 61

Nadal through after winning 55th consecutive clay match in month of April

Defending champion Rafael Nadal won his 55th consecutive match on clay in the month of April as he dismissed German Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-1, 6-3 Wednesday to reach the third round of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia, an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 clay-court tennis tournament in Rome.

The Spaniard has not lost a clay-court match in the month of April since 2005 in the Valencia quarter-finals (l. to Andreev), a five-year spell that has seen him win 10 ATP World Tour titles – six in Monte-Carlo and four in Barcelona.

The 23-year-old Nadal opened his campaign for a fifth title at the Foro Italico in the same ruthless form that saw him lose just 14 games on his recent title run at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters. The third seed converted four of six break points and surrendered just nine points on serve in the 70-minute match to improve to a 23-1 match record in Rome. He captured the title from 2005-2007 and again last year, with victory over Novak Djokovic.

"It wasn't my best match but it was a correct match," said Nadal. "I did well, I played safe, I played focused all the time and Philipp tried to play more aggressive for a few moments but he made more mistakes than usual and that helped me a little bit. Philipp is a tough opponent and to play against him in the third round was a challenge for me. I am very happy about my victory."

Nadal next will face Romanian Victor Hanescu, against whom he has a 3-0 career record. "Hanescu is an aggressive player," said Nadal. "He has a good serve, he plays very aggressive from the baseline – he’s fast so he can be a very dangerous player. He focuses all the time and I'll have to play my best tennis."

ATP World Tour No. 7 Robin Soderling rebounded strongly from the disappointment of narrowly losing in the Barcelona final three days ago by defeating Italian wild card Paolo Lorenzi 6-1, 7-5 in his opening match.

The Swede recorded his fifth win in six clay-court matches this season in 74 minutes by saving all three break points he faced and capitalising on three of the seven opportunities he created on Lorenzi’s serve.


Wednesday, 28 April

Singles - Second Round
[3] R Nadal (ESP) d P Kohlschreiber (GER) 61 63
[5] R Soderling (SWE) d [WC] P Lorenzi (ITA) 61 75
[6] F Verdasco (ESP) d [WC] S Bolelli (ITA) 76(11) 63
[7] J Tsonga (FRA) d V Troicki (SRB) 62 63
F Lopez (ESP) d [8] M Cilic (CRO) 26 76(2) 64
S Wawrinka (SUI) d [10] T Berdych (CZE) 26 63 76(6)
[11] I Ljubicic (CRO) d N Almagro (ESP) 75 76(3)
[13] D Ferrer (ESP) d [WC] P Starace (ITA) 75 62
T Bellucci (BRA) d [14] J Isner (USA) 76(7) 75
[WC] F Volandri (ITA) d J Benneteau (FRA) 62 60
G Garcia-Lopez (ESP) d L Hewitt (AUS) 62 63
[Q] S Giraldo (COL) d [Q] M Llodra (FRA) 63 62

Verdasco clinches title in Barcelona after win to Soderling

ATP World Tour No. 9 Fernando Verdasco served up the perfect remedy for his loss in the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters final last weekend by defeating Robin Soderling 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 in a high quality title match at the Barcelona Open BancSabadell Sunday.

As champion of the ATP World Tour 500 clay-court tennis tournament, Verdasco earned 500 South African Airways 2010 ATP Ranking points and €286,000, while runner-up Soderling received 300 ranking points and €144,000 in prize money. Both players are bidding to qualify for the second year in a row for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, to be held at The O2 in London from 21-28 November.

The 26-year-old Verdasco is playing arguably the greatest tennis of his career at the moment, having last week reached the final of an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament (l. to Nadal) for the first time. The Madrid native clinched the fifth ATP World Tour title of his career, and his second of the season having triumphed at the SAP Open (d. Roddick) in San Jose in February.

"I've always dreamed of winning the title here," said Verdasco. "I grew up watching this tournament on television. It's an incredible feeling, it's hard to put it into words. It's my second title in Spain and my first 500 title. In the past two weeks, with a final in Monte-Carlo and the title here in Barcelona, I've won 1000 points. This is maybe the best moment of my career right now."


Sunday, 25 April 2010

Singles - Final
[5] [WC] F Verdasco (ESP) d. [2] R Soderling (SWE) 63 46 63

Verdasco gets into second straight final; will challenge Soderling for the crown in Barcelona

ATP World Tour No. 9 Fernando Verdasco continued his strong clay-court form as he reached his second straight final with a 6-7(3), 7-5, 6-1 victory over fellow Spaniard David Ferrer Saturday in the semi-finals of the Barcelona Open BancSabadell, an ATP World Tour 500 tennis tournament.

The fifth-seeded Verdasco, who reached his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 final last week in Monte-Carlo (l. to Nadal), improved to a 10-2 mark on clay in just three tournaments on the surface this season; he was also a quarter-finalist in Acapulco (l. to Monaco) in February.

"This win is very important for me because it is the first time that I have played in two consecutive finals, and I would especially like to win here, so I will try to rest well and to be at my best tomorrow," said Verdasco. "The fact that I have reached two clay court finals gives me a lot of confidence. I feel good and comfortable with my play. This year I have adapted to the surface better than ever; as I get more experienced it becomes easier."

The No. 17-ranked Ferrer looked on course to reach the Barcelona final for the third straight year when he led by a set and a break at 4-3 in the second set. However, Verdasco hit back to level at 4-4 before breaking serve again in a tight 12th game to seal the second set as Ferrer netted a short forehand. Buoyed by the momentum shift, Verdasco raced away with the deciding set, breaking serve twice to claim victory in two hours and 36 minutes.

"David was dominating the match and playing at a very high level; he’s a tough player and I was waiting to see if would give me a chance to get into the match again," reflected Verdasco. "I took that chance as soon as I had it, and that gave me a lot of confidence in myself."

The 26-year-old Verdasco is through to his 12th ATP World Tour final (4-7 record) and third of the season. He captured his fourth title at the SAP Open (d. Roddick) in San Jose earlier in the year.

As he bids to become the eighth straight Spanish champion in Barcelona, Verdasco will face second seed Robin Soderling, who brought to an end Dutch Thiemo de Bakker’s stellar run in Barcelona with a 6-1, 6-4 victory in the second semi-final.

Soderling takes a 4-1 lead into the clash with Verdasco and has won both their meetings on clay, at Roland Garros in 2005 and in Bastad in 2007.

"It’s going to be a very difficult final," said Verdasco. "He has won most of our matches and is ranked higher than me but I think it all depends on how we play tomorrow. Soderling is a player who hits extremely hard, you have to move him around and try to tire him out so that his shots are not as precise."


Saturday, April 24, 2010

Singles - Semifinals
(5) Fernando Verdasco (ESP) d. (8) David Ferrer (ESP) 67(3) 75 61
(2) Robin Soderling (SWE) d. Thiemo de Bakker (NED) 61 64

Tsonga, Ferrer, Soderling move into quarters; Ferrero falls to former junior World No. 1 in Barcelona

Second-seeded Swede Robin Soderling required just 58 minutes to reach the Barcelona Open BancSabadell quarter-finals Thursday, firing 11 aces past No. 16 seed Feliciano Lopez of Spain in a 6-3, 6-2 victory at the ATP World Tour 500 tennis tournament.

"I feel good," said last year's Roland Garros finalist. "Last year coming into the clay I didn’t play well so well in the beginning, but I think this year I’m playing much better already from the start. Hopefully I can build on this and play even better and better."

For the second time in as many weeks, third seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga beat No. 15 seed Nicolas Almagro of Spain. World No. 10 Tsonga, who also beat Almagro at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters nine days ago, converted four of six break points and hit eight aces for a 5-7, 6-1, 6-4 victory in just over two hours. He has a 17-7 match record on the season.

"I wasn't sliding well at the start, the clay was quite heavy," said Tsonga. "I was struggling to adjust myself to the ball. Then I started to play a bit more how I play on hard-court which enabled me to get back into the match in the second and third set."

Tsonga will next meet former junior World No. 1 Thiemo de Bakker, who is aiming to break into the Top 50 of the South African Airways 2010 ATP Rankings this season. De Bakker handed seventh seed and 2001 champion Juan Carlos Ferrero only his third loss in 21 clay-court matches this year.

Ferrero dropped to 18-3 on red dirt this year after falling to de Bakker 7-6(2), 3-6, 7-6(4) in two hours and 35 minutes. Tsonga said: "It will be difficult against De Bakker next. I played him in Davis Cup on indoor clay. It was a tough match, very difficult. He's going to go up in the rankings in the next few months and has a lot of potential."

Just four days after finishing runner-up at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters, fifth-seeded Spaniard Fernando Verdasco survived a battle against No. 11 seed Jurgen Melzer of Austria for a spot in the last eight.

Verdasco recovered from a 0-2 deficit in the second set to win his fifth match in six meetings with Melzer 3-6, 7-6(1), 6-3 in two hours and 13 minutes. It was the 20th win of the year for the World No. 9, who will next challenge Latvian Ernests Gulbis, a 6-1, 6-3 victor over qualifier Albert Ramos-Vinolas.

"It was pretty difficult today with the conditions really heavy," said Verdasco. "It was tough for me to make the ball bounce and make winners also. It was hard conditions, but finally I had enough time to come back and win the match, so I’m happy."

Eighth seed David Ferrer safely advanced to his fifth ATP World Tour quarter-final (or better) this season at the ATP World Tour 500 clay-court tennis tournament. The Spaniard, a runner-up to Rafael Nadal the past couple of years, was leading Simone Bolelli 6-0, 3-0 when the Italian qualifier retired with a right wrist injury after 45 minutes of play.

World No. 17 Ferrer improved to 3-0 lifetime against Bolelli and to a 23-7 season record (17-2 on clay). He will next challenge No. 13 seed Thomaz Bellucci of Brazil, who knocked out Spaniard Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 6-4, 6-4 in one hour and 48 minutes.

Argentine Eduardo Schwank, a quarter-finalist at the Movistar Open and Copa Telmex in February, withstood 13 aces from the racquet of Ivan Navarro for a 6-3, 7-6(7) win in two hours and 12 minutes.


Thursday, 22 April 2010

Singles - Third Round
[2] R Soderling (SWE) d [16] F Lopez (ESP) 63 62
[3] J Tsonga (FRA) d [15] N Almagro (ESP) 57 61 64
[5] [WC] F Verdasco (ESP) d [11] J Melzer (AUT) 36 76(1) 63
T de Bakker (NED) d [7] J Ferrero (ESP) 76(2) 36 76(4)
[8] D Ferrer (ESP) d [Q] S Bolelli (ITA) 60 30 ret. (right wrist)
[13] T Bellucci (BRA) d G Garcia-Lopez (ESP) 64 64
E Gulbis (LAT) d [Q] A Ramos-Vinolas (ESP) 61 63
E Schwank (ARG) d [LL] I Navarro (ESP) 63 76(7)

Ferrero wins with Verdasco; Gonzalez ousted in Barcelona

Former World No. 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero opened his campaign at the Barcelona Open BancSabadell by advancing to the third round of the ATP World Tour 500 tennis tournament with his 18th clay-court victory of the season.

The Spaniard advanced when opponent, Sergiy Stakhovsky, retired due to an injury to both his hamstrings with Ferrero leading 6-3, 4-2.

Ferrero next will face Dutchman Thiemo de Bakker, who defeated Spaniard Daniel Gimeno-Traver 7-6(5), 6-3 in 86 minutes.

The shock of the day came on Pista 1 as Spanish qualifier Albert Ramos-Vinolas stunned World No. 12 Fernando Gonzalez 6-4, 6-7(8), 6-3 in two hours and 15 minutes. Ramos-Vinolas, ranked 149 places lower than Gonzalez in the South African Airways 2010 ATP Rankings, had recorded his career-first ATP World Tour match win in the first round with victory over Michael Russell on Monday. It is the first time this season that Gonzalez has lost his opening match at an ATP World Tour event.

The 22-year-old Ramos-Vinolas next will meet Latvian Ernests Gulbis, who accounted for France’s Jeremy Chardy 6-3, 6-2 in 78 minutes.

World No. 9 Fernando Verdasco came through a testing opening encounter against Richard Gasquet, defeating the Frenchman 7-5, 6-3. The fifth-seeded Verdasco, who is coming off an appearance in his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 final at last week’s Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters, broke serve four times from six opportunities to prevail in 79 minutes.

The Spaniard has endured mixed results on his six previous appearances at the tournament, posting his best effort last year by reaching the quarter-finals (l. to F. Gonzalez). He will look to reach the last eight again when he faces 11th seed Jurgen Melzer in the next round. The Austrian overcame Spaniard Oscar Hernandez 6-7(4), 7-5, 7-5 in a match lasting two hours and 47 minutes.

ATP World Tour No. 10 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga enjoyed a winning debut at the Barcelona Open BancSabadell Wednesday, dismissing Jan Hajek 6-3, 6-2 for a place in the third round of the ATP World Tour 500 clay-court tennis tournament.


Tuesday, 20 April 2010

Singles - Second Round
[3] J Tsonga (FRA) d J Hajek (CZE) 63 62
[Q] A Ramos-Vinolas (ESP) d [4] F Gonzalez (CHI) 64 67(8) 63
[5] [WC] F Verdasco (ESP) d R Gasquet (FRA) 75 63
[7] J Ferrero (ESP) d S Stakhovsky (UKR) 63 42 ret. (hamstrings)
[8] D Ferrer (ESP) d [WC] M Granollers (ESP) 75 64
[11] J Melzer (AUT) d O Hernandez (ESP) 67(4) 75 75
E Schwank (ARG) d [12] L Hewitt (AUS) 76(3) 64
[13] T Bellucci (BRA) d V Hanescu (ROU) 62 16 75
[16] F Lopez (ESP) d D Istomin (UZB) 76(7) 75
G Garcia-Lopez (ESP) d [LL] T Gabashvili (RUS) 16 76(5) 64
[Q] S Bolelli (ITA) d [WC] A Martin (ESP) 76(2) 76(1)
T de Bakker (NED) d [Q] D Gimeno-Traver (ESP) 76(5) 63
E Gulbis (LAT) d J Chardy (FRA) 63 62