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

Hewiit challenged on Day 1, goes through in Barcelona

Former World No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt made a successful return to the Barcelona Open BancSabadell Tuesday, recovering from the loss of the second set to Turkish qualifier Marsel Ilhan to prevail 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 and reach the second round of the ATP World Tour 500 clay-court tennis tournament.

The 29-year-old Hewitt is playing in Barcelona for the first time since 2002, when he reached the semi-finals (l. to Gaudio), as he continues his comeback from right hip surgery, which he underwent on 29 January. Two weeks ago the Australian posted a quarter-final effort (l. to Chela) at the US Men’s Clay Court Championship in Houston.

The No. 12 seed fired 10 aces and converted six of nine break point opportunities as he sealed his first-round victory at the Real Club de Tenis Barcelona-1899 in just under two hours. He next will face Argentine Eduardo Schwank.

Spanish qualifier Daniel Gimeno-Traver surprised 10th-seeded Argentine Juan Monaco 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 to secure his place in the second round. The No. 92-ranked Gimeno-Traver has reached this stage three times previously in Barcelona, helped in 2006 by victory over Novak Djokovic.

Another seed to topple in the first round was No. 14 and last week’s Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters quarter-finalist Albert Montanes, who was ousted by Frenchman Jeremy Chardy 6-3, 7-6(1) in 82 minutes.

Lucky loser Ivan Navarro made the most of his opportunity by reaching the third round with a 6-2, 6-4 victory over Uruguayan Pablo Cuevas. The Spaniard replaced No. 6 seed Tomas Berdych in the main draw when the Czech withdrew due to a right ankle injury.


Monday, April 19, 2010

Singles - First Round
[13] T Bellucci (BRA) d J Nieminen (FIN) 64 64
[15] N Almagro (ESP) d S Ventura (ESP) 61 62
G Garcia-Lopez (ESP) d [Q] C Rochus (BEL) 57 61 63
[WC] M Granollers (ESP) d L Kubot (POL) 64 63
O Hernandez (ESP) d I Marchenko (UKR) 67(2) 62 64
R Gasquet (FRA) d I Andreev (RUS) 76(5) 64
T de Bakker (NED) d A Falla (COL) 61 60
S Greul (GER) d [Q] P Riba (ESP) 64 64
J Hajek (CZE) d P Starace (ITA) 61 64
[Q] P Cuevas (URU) d H Zeballos (ARG) 76(2) 62
E Schwank (ARG) d F Fognini (ITA) 61 63
J Chela (ARG) d [WC] F Krajinovic (SRB) 61 64

Victorious Nadal captures sixth straight title in Monte Carlo

Rafael Nadal became the first player in the Open Era to win a tournament title for six straight years on Sunday. The World No. 3 defeated Spanish compatriot Fernando Verdasco 6-0, 6-1 to extend his reign at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters, an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 clay-court tournament. It was the first all-Spanish final in the Principality since 2002.

Nadal snapped an 11-month title drought, stretching back to the 2009 Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome, with victory in 86 minutes. He claimed €434,000 in prize money and 1,000 South African Airways 2010 ATP Rankings point in his quest to qualify for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals at London in November. Verdasco, appearing in his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 final, picked up €203,000 and 600 points.

Verdasco got off to the worst possible start, committing six straight unforced errors. Nadal confirmed the opening-game service break with a glorious crosscourt backhand pass off an angled volley, before taking a 3-0 lead despite Verdasco battling back from 0/40.

Intent on peppering Verdasco’s backhand, staying clear of his potent forehand, Nadal was relentless in keeping the rallies as short as possible. Two straight forehand winners down the line helped Nadal to a third service break and a 5-0 lead. He duly captured the 36-minute first-set with a hold to 30, when Verdasco fired a forehand wide.

Verdasco received appreciative applause from the 10,080 spectators crammed around Court Central, when he saved three break points to clinch the first game of the second set with an ace. While it may have settled his nerves, Nadal continued to apply the pressure.

In a 14-point third-game, Verdasco managed to save three break point opportunities but was unable to prevent Nadal from striking a running crosscourt forehand pass for a 2-1 lead. Minutes later, the Madrid native was left standing in no-man’s land with his hands on his hips, when a good backhand approach was dispatched by Nadal with a backhand slice winner that glided inches over the net. Nadal went on to take a 4-1 lead with a break to love.

Verdasco failed to capitalise on six break point opportunities in the sixth game, although was allowed a minor celebration in setting up his sixth point when he outwitted Nadal – scrambling behind the baseline in windy conditions – to hit a forehand drop shot winner. Minutes later, Nadal recorded his 32nd consecutive win at the Monte-Carlo Country Club with a forehand winner down the line on his second match point.

The 23-year-old Nadal has now captured 16 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 trophies, which draws him level with ATP World Tour No. 1 Roger Federer and one shy of all-time leader Andre Agassi with 18 titles.


Sunday, 18 April 2010

Singles - Final
[2] R Nadal (ESP) d [6] F Verdasco (ESP) 60 61

Nadal one step closer to sixth straight title in Monte Carlo; will face Verdasco for the crown

Rafael Nadal is on course to capture his sixth straight Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters title, after extending his winning streak to 31 matches at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 clay-court tournament on Saturday.

In overcast conditions, second seed Nadal defeated his Spanish compatriot and No. 11 seed David Ferrer for the seventh time in eight matches on clay courts with a 6-2, 6-3 victory in 76 minutes.

"I am playing very well," said Nadal. "I think I played a very good match today. The last two games, I was a little bit more nervous than usual because I lost two semi-finals in a row, at [the BNP Paribas Open in] Indian Wells and [the Sony Ericsson Open in] Miami. I think I played very, very complete match."

Nadal was forced to save one break point with an ace at 30/40 in the second game, prior to Ferrer buckling under pressure at 15/40 by playing a backhand drop shot into the net. Growing in confidence, Nadal quickly moved into a 4-1 lead when Ferrer hit a forehand approach long at 15/40 in the fifth game. Nadal was able to secure the 36-minute first-set with a service hold to love, with Ferrer hitting a forehand long.

Ferrer committed a forehand error to gift Nadal a 2-1 lead in the second set, but responded immediately. Serving at 30/40 in the fourth game Nadal was caught out by a Ferrer forehand, who clinched the break with a fourth successive shot behind his opponent.

There was a third successive service break in the fifth game. Ferrer saved the first of two break points when Nadal netted a crosscourt backhand, but then hit a pin-point accurate forehand winner that left Ferrer stranded on the other side of the court.

Nadal opened up a 5-2 lead, before falling to 30/40. Ferrer pinned Nadal well behind the baseline and hit a clever backhand drop volley that could not be scrambled up. But Nadal was not to be denied his 20th win of the year, winning four of the next five points to book his place in Sunday's final against sixth-seeded compatriot Fernando Verdasco.

"I think Verdasco [has] always had amazing potential," said Nadal. "He can play very well. [The] important thing is [that] if he is focused mentally, his shots are unbelievable. He can be at very high level."

Nadal will face Fernando Verdasco, who easily ousted top seed Novak Djokovic with a score of 62 62 in the other semifinal.


Saturday, 17 April 2010

Singles - Semi-finals
[2] R Nadal (ESP) d [11] D Ferrer (ESP) 62 63
[6] F Verdasco (ESP) d [1] N Djokovic (SRB) 62 62

Nadal cruises again; Djokovic to face Nalbandian in qaurters

Five-time defending champion Rafael Nadal fired a message of intent to his clay-court rivals on Thursday, when he thumped Michael Berrer of Germany 6-0, 6-1 in just 55 minutes for a place in the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters quarter-finals.

The Spaniard came close to the first double-bagel result of his career, but hit a backhand wide when Berrer led 40/30 in the sixth game of the second set. Through the first 11 games of the pair’s second meeting, Berrer had won just 11 points. He won 18 of 69 points overall.

Nadal, who extended his winning streak to 29 matches at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 clay-court tournament, has won a 6-0 set on 48 occasions in his professional career. On Wednesday, he beat former junior World No. 1 Thiemo de Bakker 6-1, 6-0.

In 514 career matches, this is the first time Nadal has dropped only one game in back-to-back tour-level matches (seventh time overall). "I played better than yesterday because I played higher, I played close to the lines, and my feeling is I had more control on the ball," said Nadal.

Top-seeded Serbian Novak Djokovic will take nothing for granted when he meets former World No. 3 David Nalbandian of Argentina in the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters quarter-finals on Friday. Djokovic leads 2-1 overall, with their last meeting coming in June 2008 at the AEGON Championships.

Djokovic knocked out No. 13 seed Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland 6-4, 6-4 in a repeat of last year’s semi-final on Thursday evening. He now holds an 8-2 lead over Wawrinka, after his victory in one hour and 42 minutes. He hit 12 winners, committed 32 unforced errors, converted four of 10 break point opportunities.

Both players exchanged service breaks at the start of the match and it remained level to 4-4, before Djokovic earned his second break with a crosscourt forehand winner. He closed out the first set to love.

Wawrinka, made a forehand error in the third game of the second set and a second successive service game was gifted to Djokovic. Wawrinka fought back and had one break point opportunity at 4/5, 30/40 on the Djokovic serve. All three points went the Serbian’s way courtesy of backhand errors.


Thursday, 15 April 2010

Singles - Third Round
[1] N Djokovic (SRB) d [13] S Wawrinka (SUI) 64 64
[2] R Nadal (ESP) d M Berrer (GER) 60 61
A Montanes (ESP) d [4] M Cilic (CRO) 64 64
[11] D Ferrer (ESP) d [8] I Ljubicic (CRO) 60 76(4)
[9] J Ferrero (ESP) d [5] J Tsonga (FRA) 61 36 75
[6] F Verdasco (ESP) d [10] T Berdych (CZE) 57 63 62
D Nalbandian (ARG) d [12] T Robredo (ESP) 63 64
P Kohlschreiber (GER) d P Petzschner (GER) 63 64

Nadal eases through in opening match in Monte Carlo

Five-time defending champion Rafael Nadal required just one hour to beat former junior World No. 1 Thiemo de Bakker 6-1, 6-0 at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters on Wednesday.

Nadal raced into a 5-0 lead in the first set, before de Bakker won his first game. Nadal was forced to save three break points from 0/40 in the fourth game of the second set. He dropped just 22 points in the match: 13 in the first set, nine in the second set.

The Spaniard will next meet Michael Berrer of Germany, who overcame Argentine No. 14 seed Juan Monaco 6-4, 6-4 in one hour and 42 minutes. It was the pair's first meeting since the 2006 MercedesCup in Stuttgart.

Top-seeded Serbian Novak Djokovic was impressive in his first match at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters on Wednesday, when a capacity crowd – that included England rugby internationals – watched the Monaco resident beat Florent Serra of France 6-2, 6-3. His 84-minute victory sets up a repeat of last year’s semi-final versus Swiss No. 13 seed Stanislas Wawrinka.

"I have to be happy with the game because it's the first clay court match - not including Davis Cup - since Roland Garros last year," said Djokovic. "Some things can be better, like [my] serve and maybe [my] movements but [I'm still adjusting to the surface and conditions.

Djokovic, runner-up to Rafael Nadal last year, raced into a 4-0 lead in the first set but didn’t have his usual fluency on serve and was forced to saved nine break points overall. His superiority in groundstroke battles was evident in the second set and he sealed his 16th win of the year when Serra hit a backhand return out.

"It was tough," said Serra. "I felt stuck from the beginning. He was playing very deep, very high. I had to step back. I didn't serve well enough and when I tried to go up to the net, I was always late."


Wednesday, 14 April 2010

Singles - Second Round
[1] N Djokovic (SRB) d F Serra (FRA) 62 63
[2] R Nadal (ESP) d [Q] T de Bakker (NED) 61 60
P Kohlschreiber (GER) d [3] [WC] A Murray (GBR) 62 61
D Nalbandian (ARG) d [7] M Youzhny (RUS) 46 63 76(5)
[8] I Ljubicic (CRO) d M Llodra (FRA) 63 76(3)
[9] J Ferrero (ESP) d B Becker (GER) 63 64
[11] D Ferrer (ESP) d [Q] A Golubev (KAZ) 63 62
[12] T Robredo (ESP) d V Troicki (SRB) 64 63
[13] S Wawrinka (SUI) d E Gulbis (LAT) 61 64
M Berrer (GER) d [14] J Monaco (ARG) 64 64
P Petzschner (GER) d [15] J Melzer (AUT) 76(4) 62
A Montanes (ESP) d A Seppi (ITA) 76(1) 36 60

Nalbandian, Ferrero advance in Monte Carlo Masters

Tenth seed Tomas Berdych improved to an 18-7 season record Monday after hitting seven aces past Spaniard Feliciano Lopez in a 6-3, 6-1 win in 66 minutes at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters on Monday.

Berdych won 74 per cent of service points to win his first match over Lopez in six meetings since October 2007 at the Davidoff Swiss Indoors in Basel. The 24-year-old Czech advanced to the Sony Ericsson Open final in Miami (l. to Roddick) just eight days ago.

Argentine wild card David Nalbandian maintained his record of never having lost in the Monte-Carlo first round Monday, when the former World No. 3 knocked out German Andreas Beck 6-3, 6-1 in 69 minutes on a perfect day at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 clay-court tournament.

Former World No. 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero, the 2002-03 Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters champion, and his Spanish Davis Cup team mate David Ferrer started their campaigns at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 clay-court tournament on Monday.

Ninth seed Ferrero knocked out compatriot Marcel Granollers, a qualifier, 6-0, 6-3 in just 70 minutes on Court Central. He dropped just 14 points in the opening set, which lasted 29 minutes, winning 72 per cent of service points. He improved to 29-7 lifetime at the event.

Germany’s Philipp Petzschner accounted for Guillermo Garcia-Lopez of Spain 6-3, 2-6, 6-2 in two hours and 18 minutes during the afternoon session. Overall Spaniards went 3-2 on day two at the Monte-Carlo Country Club.

In the final singles match of the day, 14th seed Juan Monaco hit five aces to edge past former World No. 13 and qualifier Jarkko Nieminen of Finland 7-5, 7-5 in one hour and 56 minutes. The Argentine, runner-up to Thomaz Bellucci at the Movistar Open in Santiago two months ago, improved to a 17-7 mark on the year.


Monday, 12 April 2010

Singles - First Round
[9] J Ferrero (ESP) d [Q] M Granollers (ESP) 60 63
[10] T Berdych (CZE) d F Lopez (ESP) 63 61
[11] D Ferrer (ESP) d [Q] P Luczak (AUS) 62 64
[14] J Monaco (ARG) d [Q] J Nieminen (FIN) 75 75
D Nalbandian (ARG) d A Beck (GER) 63 61
N Almagro (ESP) d S Greul (GER) 36 75 62
P Kohlschreiber (GER) d T Bellucci (BRA) 26 63 76(3)
E Gulbis (LAT) d M Chiudinelli (SUI) 63 62
P Petzschner (GER) d G Garcia-Lopez (ESP) 63 26 62
B Becker (GER) d [WC] B Tomic (AUS) 64 62
[Q] A Golubev (KAZ) d J Chardy (FRA) 62 76(2)
J Benneteau (FRA) d [Q] O Dolgopolov Jr. (UKR) 64 57 62
[WC] R Gasquet (FRA) d [Q] D Gimeno-Traver (ESP) 62 46 62

Chela wins first title in 3 years against Querrey in Houston

Contesting his first ATP World Tour final in more than three years, Juan Ignacio Chela of Argentina rallied past third-seeded American Sam Querrey 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 on Sunday to claim the title at the US Men’s Clay Court Championship in Houston.

Chela won his fifth clay-court title from his 10th ATP World Tour final, his first since defeating Carlos Moya in 2007 at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel in Acapulco, and said afterwards: “Right now I feel wonderful. No words.”

As the winner of the ATP World Tour 250 tournament, Chela earned $79,900 in prize money and 250 South African Airways 2010 ATP Rankings points, which will push the Argentine up approximately 30 spots to around No. 50 when the new rankings are released Monday. The 30 year old, a former World No. 15, last ranked in the Top 50 in July 2008 and was ranked No. 166 at this point last year.

He said: “I’ve always said that as long as I’m enjoying the competition and I’m getting this adrenaline from the matches, I’m going to keep playing as long as I’m happy and especially after this win.”

World No. 25 Querrey assumed the early lead in his first clay-court final as he broke in the eleventh game and served out the set. After failing to convert on his two break chances in the second set, however, he saw Chela draw level as he dropped serve at set point for the Argentine.

Querrey began the decisive set with a break of serve, but the lead proved short-lived. Chela broke back in the next game and continued to put pressure on his opponent’s serve, with eight break point opportunities. He went up 5-4 after setting up triple break point and successfully served out the victory in two hours and 24 minutes.

“I grew up playing on clay courts so I’m used to staying in it,” said Chela. “It does get very difficult to be aggressive all the time on clay. Even [Roger] Federer sometimes has struggles with it. However, I think that that was the key here. I took my chances to be aggressive.”

“Truthfully I did it match by match,” he said of his challenging road to the title. “And then once I started winning my first match and my second match, I started to gain confidence. As I got closer to the end, I felt like I could take it.”


Sunday, April 11, 2010

Singles - Final
Juan Ignacio Chela (ARG) d. (3) Sam Querrey (USA) 57 64 63

Querrey to face Chela for Houston crown

American Sam Querrey reached his first clay-court ATP World Tour final Saturday at the US Men’s Clay Court Championship in Houston with a 7-6(3), 1-6, 7-5 victory over 2009 finalist Wayne Odesnik in the semi-finals of the ATP World Tour 250 tennis tournament.

In the pair’s first ATP meeting, Querrey was able to win the close encounter by breaking his countryman’s serve in the final game of the match to seal victory.

"Very happy that I won; a little streaky at times," said Querrey. "It started when I was down a break in the third at 1-0. I started to pick it up a little; started to hit my forehand a little bigger, especially inside out to his forehand.

"He knew how hard he had to work to win his service games; I had break points at 3-4, then 4-5 30-all, and then I finally got him at 5-6. I think he was feeling the pressure."

In the final Querrey will play Argentine Juan Ignacio Chela, who advanced to his first final in more than three years with a 7-5, 6-2 win over countryman Horacio Zeballos. Chela’s last final – and title – came in Acapulco in March, 2007.

California native Querrey is the third American in the past three years to feature in the Houston final and will look to become the first homegrown winner since Mardy Fish in 2006. Fish was also the last American to win an ATP World Tour clay-court title.

World No. 25 Querrey is looking to capture his second ATP World Tour title of the season after triumphing at the Regions Morgan Keegan Championships (d. Isner) in Memphis in February. The 22 year old has a 3-4 record in ATP World Tour finals and reached a career-high five title matches last year (1-4 record).

Chela, who claimed six breaks of serve in his semi-final against Zeballos, won 65 percent of points on his second serve; Zeballos won just 35 percent of points on his own second serve.

Chela, 30, was appearing in his first ATP World Tour semi-final since February 2008. He has now reached his 10th career ATP World Tour final (4-5), the first since March 2007 in Acapulco where he captured his last title (d. Moya). His previous ATP World Tour final in the U.S. came on hard courts in Long Island (l. to Srichaphan) in August 2002.


Saturday, 10 April 2010

Singles - Semi-finals
[3] S Querrey (USA) d W Odesnik (USA) 76(3) 16 75
J Chela (ARG) D [6] H Zeballos (ARG) 75 62

Hewitt, Gonzalez get ousted in Houston

An anticipated showdown between the tournament's top seed and its defending champion failed to eventuate on Friday as Fernando Gonzalez and Lleyton Hewitt both lost their quarter-final matches at the US Men's Clay Court Championship, an ATP World Tour 250 tennis tournament in Houston.

In the final match of the day, No. 6-seeded Horacio Zeballos of Argentina upset Chilean No. 1 seed Gonzalez, 6-4, 6-4; it was the South American duo's first meeting.

In the semi-finals Zeballos will meet fellow Argentine Juan Ignacio Chela, who withstood a late fight back from Hewitt to defeat the fourth seed and defending champion, 6-4, 6-3. Chela served for the match at 5-0 in the second set but was made to wait for victory as Hewitt reeled off three straight games in a comeback attempt. The Argentine regained his composure though and broke the Australian’s serve for the fifth time to secure victory in one hour and 12 minutes.

The 29-year-old Hewitt, who battled past Somdev Devvarman in his opening match, was playing his first tournament since undergoing right hip surgery on 29 January, four days after losing to Roger Federer in the fourth round of the Australian Open.

Later on Friday Hewitt contested the doubles semi-finals with his coach, Nathan Healey, falling to top seeds and defending champions Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan, 6-2, 7-6(4), despite twice holding a service break in the second set.

American No. 3 seed Sam Querrey held off a strong challenge from 2000 finalist Nicolas Massu to prevail 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 Friday and reach the semi-finals.

In reaching his third ATP World Tour semi-final of the season, Querrey fired 10 aces and countered losing his own serve twice by converting three of seven break point opportunities to seal victory after one hour and 50 minutes.

“I lost focus after that game (when he was broken in the second set) for about five or six games, up until the second game of the third set,” confessed Querrey. “But then fortunately I fought back and got it done.

“[My clay court tennis] is kind of going up and down. Yesterday (against Kavcic) I thought I played a little better. Today, the first set and a half I thought I played great. Then when he broke me I got a little tentative but then picked it up at the end of the third set. So a little streaky today but it’s just getting better and better."

World No. 25 Querrey will face 2009 runner-up Wayne Odesnik, who scored a 6-4, 6-1 win on Friday over Belgium's Xavier Malisse in one hour, 22 minutes.

"I made too many mistakes," said Malisse. "It's tough to play a lefty; he plays pretty well on clay. Still I had a lot of break chances, but I didn't take them today."


Friday, 9 April 2010

Singles - Quarter-finals
[6] H Zeballos (ARG) d [1] F Gonzalez (CHI) 64 64
[3] S Querrey (USA) d N Massu (CHI) 63 36 64
J Chela (ARG) d [4] [WC] L Hewitt (AUS) 64 63
W Odesnik (USA) d X Malisse (BEL) 64 61

Hewitt escapes fate of defeat in Houston

Defending champion Lleyton Hewitt battled back from the brink of defeat Thursday at the US Men’s Clay Court Championship, overcoming Indian lucky loser Somdev Devvarman 1-6, 6-0, 7-6(2) in his second-round opening match at the ATP World Tour 250 tournament in Houston.

Former World No. 1 Hewitt made an impressive turnaround in the second set as he lost just two points total, but two-time NCAA singles champion Devvarman put forth a stronger challenge in the decisive set.

The World No. 116 twice recovered a break of serve, including one in the ninth game with Hewitt holding the match on his racquet, and then earned his own opportunity to serve out the match at 6-5. Hewitt fought off elimination with another service break, and then clinched the win in the tie-break as he reeled off the final six points.

The 27-year-old Hewitt had been sidelined since the Australian Open after undergoing surgery on his right hip, and made his return to the courts Tuesday with a first-round doubles victory. He had opened the 2010 season with as quarter-final run in Sydney (l. to Baghdatis) and fourth-round showing in Melbourne (l. to Federer).

Third-seeded American Sam Querrey had no troubles in his opener, taking one hour to dismiss Slovenian Blaz Kavcic 6-2, 6-1 as he broke his opponent four times from six chances. It was his first win in Houston after first-round losses in 2007 and ’08. Querrey will next face Chilean Nicolas Massu, who handed him his most recent loss at this tournament.

Sixth-seeded Argentine Horacio Zeballos, the 2009 ATP Newcomer of the Year, eased through to the quarter-finals with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Dudi Sela in 53 minutes. Meanwhile, American Wayne Odesnik converted four of his 16 break chances to defeat Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Kukushkin 6-1, 7-5.


Thursday, 8 April 2010

Singles - Second Round
[1] F Gonzalez (CHI) vs [Q] K Anderson (RSA)
X Malisse (BEL) vs [2] J Isner (USA)
[3] S Querrey (USA) d B Kavcic (SLO) 62 61
[4] [WC] L Hewitt (AUS) d [LL] S Devvarman (IND) 16 60 76(2)
[6] H Zeballos (ARG) d D Sela (ISR) 63 62
W Odesnik (USA) d M Kukushkin (KAZ) 61 75

Massu battles to win in Houston

In the longest three-set match of the 2010 season, Chilean Nicolas Massu prevailed against American qualifier Ryan Sweeting 6-7(5), 7-6(3), 6-4 on Wednesday in Houston to earn his place in the quarter-finals of the US Men’s Clay Court Championship.

The former World No. 9 made the most of his opportunities in the decisive set, capitalising on all three of his break points while Sweeting went two for six on his chances. At three hours and 25 minutes, the match was three minutes longer than Novak Djokovic’s victory over Mikhail Youzhny this past February in the Dubai final.

The 30-year-old Massu, who entered the ATP World Tour 250 tournament with a No. 94 ranking, is through to his first tour-level quarter-final since last July at Umag (l. to Seppi).

Argentine Juan Ignacio Chela also advanced to his first quarter-final of the season after defeating seventh-seeded countryman Eduardo Schwank 6-1, 6-7(5), 6-1. Chela, who is making his Houston debut this week, converted on seven of his 11 break points while fighting off six of seven faced on serve.


Wednesday, 7 April 2010

Singles - Second Round
B Kavcic (SLO) vs [3] S Querrey (USA) - postponed to Thursday
[4] [WC] L Hewitt (AUS) vs [LL] S Devvarman (IND)
J Chela (ARG) d [7] E Schwank (ARG) 61 67(5) 61
N Massu (CHI) d [Q] R Sweeting (USA) 67(5) 76(3) 64

Highest seed playing on Tuesday gets ousted on Day 2 in Houston

American qualifier Ryan Sweeting earned his first tour-level win of the 2010 season as he knocked out fifth-seeded Kazakhstani Evgeny Korolev 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 on Tuesday afternoon at the US Men’s Clay Court Championship, an ATP World Tour 250 tennis tournament in Houston.

The 150th-ranked Sweeting converted on three of his six break point chances in the decisive set to close out the victory in one hour and 54 minutes. It was his first win on the ATP World Tour since July 2009, when he reached the second round at the LA Tennis Open.

Sweeting’s upset was a bright spot in a tough day for the American contingent, which saw two players withdraw prior to their first-round matches and two others retire due to injury.

American Mardy Fish withdrew due to the lingering effects of a sciatic nerve injury sustained in a fall last week at the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami, while No. 7 seed Michael Russell pulled out with a leg injury.

Fish, who won the Houston singles title in 2006, said: “I’m obviously extremely disappointed not being able to play here. I’ve had a lot of success at this tournament. I have great memories here. It’s a real bummer. From my point of view, the way I was hitting the ball, the way I feeling in Miami before I fell in the fourth round there, it’s a bummer not being able to play here.”

Fish was replaced in the main draw by Indian Somdev Devvarman, while Michael Yani took the place of countryman Russell. Yani lost to Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Kukushkin 6-1, 7-5.

A pair of Argentines, No. 6 Horacio Zeballos and Juan Ignacio Chela, were the benefactors of injury retirements in their first-round matches. Zeballos led Taylor Dent 6-3 and Chela had established a 6-2, 3-0 lead against Rajeev Ram before their opponents respectively retired with hip and groin ailments.

American wild card Donald Young also fell at the first hurdle, dropping a 7-5, 6-3 decision to South African qualifier Kevin Anderson. Anderson conceded just three points behind his first serve.

Also Tuesday, Chilean Nicolas Massu advanced with a 6-4, 6-2 win over German Mischa Zverev and No. 7 seed Eduardo Schwank of Argentina defeated Brazilian Marcos Daniel 6-3, 6-2.


Tuesday, 6 April 2010

Singles - First Round
[Q] R Sweeting (USA) d [5] E Korolev (KAZ) 63 46 62
[6] H Zeballos (ARG) d T Dent (USA) 63 ret. (hip)
[7] E Schwank (ARG) d M Daniel (BRA) 63 62
M Kukushkin (KAZ) d **[LL] M Yani (USA) 61 75
[Q] C Niland (IRL) vs *[LL] S Devvarman (IND)
N Massu (CHI) d M Zverev (GER) 64 62
[Q] K Anderson (RSA) d [WC] D Young (USA) 75 63
X Malisse (BEL) vs [Q] N Lindahl (AUS)
J Chela (ARG) d R Ram (USA) 62 30 ret. (groin)

*[LL] S Devvarman (IND) replaced M Fish (USA) - leg
**[LL] M Yani (USA) replaced [8] M Russell (USA) - leg

The Clay Court Season has begun!

The Clay Court season has begun!

The first tournaments of the season will be the US Men's Clay Court Championship in Houston, Texas, USA and the Grand Prix Hassan II in Casablanca, Morocco. The next big tournament will be the 1000 points Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters, held in Monte-Carlo, Monaco on the 11th of April. The 1000 points Internazionali d'Italia will be held on the 25th of April, and is the next biggest tournament after Monte-Carlo. On the 9th of May, the 1000 points Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open will be held, and is the next biggest tournament before the French Open, which will be held on the 23rd of May.

Good luck to all players and defending champions!

Roddick earns Miami title after straight sets win to Berdych

Andy Roddick capped his best American hard court swing since 2006 when he won his second Sony Ericsson Open title to lift the inaugural Butch Buchholz trophy. Roddick defeated Tomas Berdych 7-5, 6-4, ending the Czech’s giant-killing run that claimed a trio of Top 10 seeds: Roger Federer, Fernando Verdasco and Robin Soderling.

Asked what most pleased him about the title run, Roddick said: “I won in different ways. I changed it up against Rafa and today I was smart with chipping and mixing paces, which kept him guessing. I held onto my serve well throughout and played a pretty smart tournament.”

Former World No. 1 Roddick did not face a break point in the match and dropped serve just twice in the tournament, including once during his masterful win over Rafael Nadal in three sets in the semi-finals.

“Obviously it's a big title for me,” he said afterwards. “I felt a little bit of pressure to win this one because I had a pretty good opportunity in Indian Wells and didn't come through there.

“But I think just the last month has been real good for me. I've played well on the big moments. Haven't had an off day mentally. I've been able to execute. I've been able to have a game plan and execute it regardless of what kind of shots it takes. So it's all good. It's all encouraging.”

In the first set against Berdych, Roddick twice rallied from 0-30 deficits, although neither player faced a break point until 5-5, when the Czech was the first to crack. Berdych offered up his second break point of the game with a double fault at deuce and then, after almost double faulting again, sprayed a forehand well long to hand Roddick a 6-5 lead. Roddick then served out the set to love, ending with his fifth ace.

Berdych was unable to exert pressure when Roddick missed his first serve, winning just one of 11 second serve points. He also paid the price for 19 unforced errors – most off his forehand wing - to Roddick’s nine.

Berdych began the second set with two tentative net approaches and Roddick earned a break point with a cross-court backhand passing shot and then claimed the early break when Berdych hit another forehand long. That was all the opening needed by Roddick, who won 61 of 63 service games during the tournament.

“He was playing pretty well as you can see on the court,” said Berdych. “He was really good today. He was really strong, serving well. I was really looking for maybe to get one chance or maybe one is enough. But he [held] pretty well. I didn't get any chance during whole match during both two sets. So that's well played for him.”

Berdych was attempting to become the first player in 20 years outside the South African Airways ATP Rankings Top 20 to win the Sony Ericsson Open title.

“I'm happy for this maybe two weeks, ten days, whatever it is, that I played a couple of really good matches,” said the Czech. “I felt great here. Everything was good. So just give me a lot of confidence [for the] next weeks in the season. Just looking forward to it. Go for another tournament.”

Sunday, April 4, 2010

Singles - Final

(6) Andy Roddick (USA) d. (16) Tomas Berdych (CZE) 75 64

Roddick to face Berdych for Miami title

Andy Roddick produced one of the finest performances of his career Friday to rally from a set down and upset Rafael Nadal in the semi-finals of the Sony Ericsson Open.

Roddick turned the match on its head in an eight-point stretch late in the second set and rode the momentum to a 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 victory over the two-time Sony Ericsson Open finalist Nadal, who showed very rare signs of frustration as the match slipped away.

In a master class serving performance, Roddick fired 15 aces and won 47 of 55 points on his first serve to claim his first win in his past four meetings with Nadal.

Early in the match, playing from deep behind the baseline, Roddick was unable to put Nadal under pressure. But a change in mindset midway through the second set to go on the attack reaped rich rewards for Roddick, who cracked a series of brutal forehands and made regular, confident forays to the net, winning 15 of 25 approaches.

“Anytime we got neutral [in the point] he was pushing me around,” Roddick said. “I knew I had to be more aggressive. My heavy forehand doesn’t work against him, so I had to hit it flatter, which is higher risk... I took really, really ridiculous cuts at a lot of forehands. They found the purple part [of the court].”

Czech Tomas Berdych continued his giant-killing run at the Sony Ericsson Open Friday night, powering his way into the final with a 6-2, 6-2 win over fifth seed Robin Soderling. Berdych, who took out top seed Roger Federer after saving a match point in the fourth round and 10th seed Fernando Verdasco in the quarter-finals, will face sixth seed Andy Roddick in the final.

Berdych had lost his past three meetings (and five of the past six) against the heavy-hitting Soderling and knew that he needed to execute a different game plan tonight. “In all my matches with Robin in the past I’ve been too defensive… if you give him time to hit the ball hard it’s really tough,” Berdych said. “I wanted to play more aggressive, but without making mistakes.”

Berdych, who reached the Sony Ericsson Open semi-finals last year, will be appearing in just his second ATP World Tour Masters 1000 final and is seeking his second title at this level, five years after he won Paris in 2005. The former World No. 9 boasts a 17-6 record on the year. He trails Roddick 2-5 in head-to-head meetings.


Friday, 2 April 2010

Singles - Semifinals
[6] A Roddick (USA) d [4] R Nadal (ESP) 46 63 63
[16] T Berdych (CZE) d [5] R Soderling (SWE) 62 62

Berdych tops Verdasco for spot in semis

Tomas Berdych backed up his marathon fourth-round win over Roger Federer with a grueling three-set victory over Fernando Verdasco Thursday to reach the Sony Ericsson Open semi-finals for the second time in three years.

Two weeks ago in Indian Wells Berdych clipped Verdasco 6-0, 6-3 but today was a much different story. Berdych needed to win a second-set tie-break just to stay alive and ultimately needed 2 hrs., 51 mins. to edge the Spaniard 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-4 in a bruising encounter.

On Saturday the Czech will play Robin Soderling, who defeated Mikhail Youzhny 6-1, 6-4 in the other quarter-final on Thursday. This is Berdych's second semi-final of 2010, having reached the last four in Brisbane in the first week of the season.

“It was a great match, definitely," said Berdych, who saved seven of nine break points - just as Verdasco did - and who won just one more point than his opponent. "The beginning for me was a little bit slow, because I was still feeling a little bit tired after the long, long match against Roger, finishing that late in the night."


Thursday, 1 April 2010

Singles - Quarter-finals
[5] R Soderling (SWE) d [13] M Youzhny (RUS) 61 64
[16] T Berdych (CZE) d [10] F Verdasco (ESP) 46 76(5) 64