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