Ferrer tops Verdasco in Rome, Henin wins
Source: Agencies |
May 2, 2010, Sunday
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DAVID Ferrer beat a sluggish Fernando Verdasco 7-5, 6-3 in Rome to advance to the first Masters Series final of his career yesterday.
Verdasco jumped out to a 5-1 lead over his fellow Spaniard at the Rome Masters, but then lost six straight games to give Ferrer the set and control of the match.
Verdasco appeared worn out from his marathon-like quarterfinal victory over Serb Novak Djokovic a day earlier - a match that lasted 3 hours, 18 minutes.
"It was a very physical match against Novak yesterday. I was feeling good mentally, but my body was not feeling good," Verdasco said. "I wasn't just tired after 5-1. I was tired ever since I woke up this morning.
"He was making unforced errors (at the start). I wasn't playing unbelievable."
In today's final, the 13th-seeded Ferrer will face either four-time Rome champion Rafael Nadal or 40th-ranked Latvian Ernests Gulbis, who were up next inside the new 10,500-seat stadium at the Foro Italico.
The sixth-seeded Verdasco had reached the final of his last two tournaments - losing to Spanish compatriot Nadal in Monte Carlo two weeks ago and beating Swede Robin Soderling to win the Barcelona Open last weekend. He showed little of the blistering groundstrokes of his recent matches, however, and had trouble running down Ferrer's frequent drop shots.
Verdasco also had three costly double faults at the end of the first set, including one to let compatriot Ferrer draw level at 5-5.
Verdasco managed to win a 29-point rally in the final game, but then had to lean on his racket to gather his breath. On the next point, he hit a forehand wide of the doubles alley, and Ferrer then converted his first match point with a routine put-away volley.
Verdasco had won his previous three meetings with Ferrer, winning 6-1 in the third set in the Barcelona semifinals. Ferrer has not dropped a set this week and leads the tour with 23 wins on clay this season.
Despite the loss, Verdasco will be one of the favorites for the upcoming Madrid Masters and the French Open, which begins on May 23.
In Stuttgart, Germany, Justine Henin beat Shahar Peer of Israel 6-3, 6-2 at the Porsche Grand Prix to advance to her third final in five tournaments since her comeback in January from retirement.
Israel's Peer got no presents for her 23rd birthday yesterday from the former No. 1 in the world, who is looking for her first title of the year.
Henin was runner-up in Brisbane and at the Australian Open in January, her first two tournaments after returning from 18 months in retirement.
The Belgian won the Stuttgart event in 2007 and was a wildcard entry this year.
In the final, Henin will play either Australia's Samantha Stosur or Russian Anna Lapushchenkova.
Verdasco jumped out to a 5-1 lead over his fellow Spaniard at the Rome Masters, but then lost six straight games to give Ferrer the set and control of the match.
Verdasco appeared worn out from his marathon-like quarterfinal victory over Serb Novak Djokovic a day earlier - a match that lasted 3 hours, 18 minutes.
"It was a very physical match against Novak yesterday. I was feeling good mentally, but my body was not feeling good," Verdasco said. "I wasn't just tired after 5-1. I was tired ever since I woke up this morning.
"He was making unforced errors (at the start). I wasn't playing unbelievable."
In today's final, the 13th-seeded Ferrer will face either four-time Rome champion Rafael Nadal or 40th-ranked Latvian Ernests Gulbis, who were up next inside the new 10,500-seat stadium at the Foro Italico.
The sixth-seeded Verdasco had reached the final of his last two tournaments - losing to Spanish compatriot Nadal in Monte Carlo two weeks ago and beating Swede Robin Soderling to win the Barcelona Open last weekend. He showed little of the blistering groundstrokes of his recent matches, however, and had trouble running down Ferrer's frequent drop shots.
Verdasco also had three costly double faults at the end of the first set, including one to let compatriot Ferrer draw level at 5-5.
Verdasco managed to win a 29-point rally in the final game, but then had to lean on his racket to gather his breath. On the next point, he hit a forehand wide of the doubles alley, and Ferrer then converted his first match point with a routine put-away volley.
Verdasco had won his previous three meetings with Ferrer, winning 6-1 in the third set in the Barcelona semifinals. Ferrer has not dropped a set this week and leads the tour with 23 wins on clay this season.
Despite the loss, Verdasco will be one of the favorites for the upcoming Madrid Masters and the French Open, which begins on May 23.
In Stuttgart, Germany, Justine Henin beat Shahar Peer of Israel 6-3, 6-2 at the Porsche Grand Prix to advance to her third final in five tournaments since her comeback in January from retirement.
Israel's Peer got no presents for her 23rd birthday yesterday from the former No. 1 in the world, who is looking for her first title of the year.
Henin was runner-up in Brisbane and at the Australian Open in January, her first two tournaments after returning from 18 months in retirement.
The Belgian won the Stuttgart event in 2007 and was a wildcard entry this year.
In the final, Henin will play either Australia's Samantha Stosur or Russian Anna Lapushchenkova.
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