Cincinnati Masters: Querrey, Dent and Ferrer Advance to Second Round

Western & Southern Financial Group Masters—Cincinnati, Ohio

Day one action at the Cincinnati Masters featured two American players advancing to the second-round. Struggling to solidify himself as a top tier player, Sam Querrey defeated the inconsistent shot-making of German Philipp Petzschner 6-1, 6-4. Losing four points on his first serve throughout the 51-minute match, Querrey broke the German’s serve on four of five occasions, while dropping his own delivery once. Winning four titles on the year, Querrey remains adamant on capturing a quality result at the Masters 1000 level.

Admitting that his scheduling will need to improve as he creeps closer to the top 10, Querrey will next face David Ferrer, who defeat Alexandr Dolgopolov 6-3, 3-6, 6-4.

“Definitely as you watch my year next year, the scheduling is gonna be different from what it was this year,” commented Querrey. I think fewer tournaments and, you know—yeah.”

Ferrer overcame some testy times against the unpredictable game of Dolgopolov. Saving three of five break points, Ferrer used his percentage game to offset the shot-making brilliance of the Ukrainian.

Querrey will take a 1-0 head-to-head series lead over Ferrer into their second-round match.

Taylor Dent proved to be too tough for the serve and volley game of Feliciano Lopez on Monday. Dusting the big-serving left-hander 6-3, 6-2, Dent won his eighth match of the year and improved to 2-1 against Lopez in lifetime meetings.

Clocking his serve consistently at 225 KPH, Dent saved all four break points he faced, while pounding 12 aces. Recently becoming a father earlier this year, Dent will next face top seed Rafael Nadal in second-round action. Dent was defeated by Nadal earlier in the season during the second-round of the Miami Masters.

Dent talked to the media after his victory, while providing his game plan against the Spaniard.

“Dictate play consistently,” said Dent. That’s it. Um, best scenario, I go out on the court and I’m hitting a lot of first serves in, hitting a lot of big second serves in, and taking those first and second balls and really not giving him a chance to set up and hit forehands.”

Other winners on day action included: Stanislas Wawrinka d. No. 14 seed Nicolas Almagro 6-6, 6-3; Thiemo de Bakker d. Juan Monaco 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-3; Paul-Henri Mathieu d. Victor Hanescu 6-7 (6), 7-6 (2), 6-3; No. 13 seed Jurgen Melzer d. Santiago Giraldo 6-1, 6-4; Viktor Troicki d. Radek Stepanek 7-5, 6-1, and Michael Berrer d. Tommy Robredo 6-7 (4), 6-4, 7-6 (8).

Rogers Cup: Day 2 Preview

Rogers Cup—Toronto, Canada

It was quite miraculous to fathom that even with the five hours of midday rain yesterday at the Rogers Cup, that only two matches were postponed until Tuesday.

A major reason that the tournament wasn’t backlogged significantly lay in the fact that only one singles match went the distance. The recipient of that three setter was Nicolas Almagro, who needed three sets and nearly two and a half hours to dismiss Illya Marchenko.

The Canadian trio of Peter Polansky, Milos Raonic and Vasek Pospisil enthralled the hometown crowd by defeating Jurgen Melzer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic in singles and doubles action, respectively.

I had a chance to speak with Dean Coburn, the coach of Polansky, and he couldn’t have been more proud of the player that he’s been coaching for over a decade. Next up for Polansky is Victor Hanescu, who defeated Raonic in singles competition.

Moving onto Tuesday’s blockbuster Center Court lineup.

Wimbledon finalist Tomas Berdych will see his first action of the week against Sergiy Stakhovsky. Stakhovsky man-handled Richard Gasquet yesterday, and appears to have adapted adequately to the hard-courts in Toronto. Berdych complained about playing too early in Washington last week as the tournament’s top seed, and he’ll have to suck up his 11 a.m. start time and get to work. Berdych hasn’t played well in Canada the past three seasons (losing in the second-round or earlier), but he did reach the quarterfinals in 2006, the year he defeated Nadal in the third-round.

The day’s most anticipated match will feature David Nalbandian vs. David Ferrer. Both men are excellent baseline players, and it will be interesting to observe how Nalbandian rebounds from his victory in Washington last week. Fitness has always been a problem for the Argentine, and he’s historically never played well in back-to-back weeks on Tour. Ferrer on the other hand is perhaps one of the fittest guys on the circuit, and more importantly, he’ll be coming in fresh. I’ll have to go with Ferrer pulling this one out in straight sets, but not before some early adrenaline from Nalbandian.

The day’s third match on Center Court will be highlighted by the ball-bashing skills of Robin Soderling and Ernests Gulbis. I had a chance to catch Gublis pick apart Thomaz Bellucci last night (I had to move quickly between Polansky’s match and the Nadal-Djokovic doubles affair), and I must say that Gulbis was in resounding form.

Moving well, and playing defense when he needed to, Gulbis showcased his full skill set against his Brazilian opponent.

His match against Soderling will be a “cut from the same cloth” encounter. Both players love to inflict pain on the fuzzy yellow objects, and the heat of day should provide for even more zip off of the ground.

Soderling has had a fantastic year to date, but has struggled on hard-courts when comparing his results to grass and clay action. The intimidating Swede does have a tricky draw, and would be best served to get by Gulbis in straight sets. I’m not so sure, though, that Gulbis will comply with those wishes, considering that his flat-hit shots are never easy to deal with.

If Gulbis is ready for a fight; he’s shown us the ability to shine and fold this year when it’s mattered, then I could see this going three sets. I do believe however that Soderling’s experience throughout the season will help him get through this match, irrespective of his coach Magnus Norman not being in his corner due to an Achilles injury.

What would a day at the Rexall Center be without one of the top four seeds in action?

Two-time champ Roger Federer will begin his latest US Open Series quest against Juan Ignacio Chela. Coming in as the No. 3 seed, Federer will find himself in the unfamiliar position of having a lot to prove on court. Losing both his French Open and Wimbledon titles earlier this year, Federer could slip even further in the rankings if he loses early in Toronto, or at the Cincinnati event next week.

I can’t foresee Federer having any trouble against the veteran Argentine later today, but the 16-time Grand Slam champ will likely want to send a message to the locker room that he means business this week by plowing through in two convincing sets.

The day’s final match on Center Court will pit Canadian Frank Dancevic against Stanislas Wawrinka. Dancevic, a Niagara Falls native, will be eager to advance and set up a rematch of his 2007 quarterfinal contest with top seed Nadal. Dancevic is returning from injury this year after suffering from back problems, and he will be in tough against Wawrinka’s one-handed backhand.

I’ll be out and about as usual around the grounds today checking out the following matches:

Marcos Baghdatis vs. Jeremy Chardy, Fernando Gonzalez vs. Gael Monfils, Sam Querrey vs. Michael Russell, and Alexandr Dolgopolov vs. Philipp Petzschner.

Should unquestionably be a busy day during day two action at the Rogers Cup. Stay tuned for a roundup shortly.

Talk soon.

Nima

Monfils, Ferrer, and Garcia-Lopez Withdraw From Hamburg Event

The International German Open received three significant withdraws on Monday when Gael Monfils, David Ferrer, and Guillermo Garcia-Lopez were all forced to pull out of the event.

Monfils’ reason for not taking part in the 500 point clay-court tournament came down to an injury he sustained during the finals of the Stuttgart event on Sunday. Playing against Spaniard Albert Montanes for the title, Monfils was forced to hand his opponent the match after losing the first set.

The athletic Frenchman made the official statement regarding his injury on his Twitter page earlier today.

“My ankle is still painful so [I'm] not gonna play [Hamburg]. [I'm] very sad, I was in a good shape.

Elsewhere, Spaniards Ferrer and Garcia-Lopez—two players who have been in-form as of late—will also be sidelined in Hamburg this week.

The 48-man field will begin on Monday with 12 singles matches.

International German Open: Main Draw

The draw for this year’s International German Open will feature: Nikolay Davydenko, David Ferrer, Gael Monfils, Jurgen Melzer, Nicolas Almagro, Juan Carlos Ferrero, Thomaz Bellucci, and Albert Montanes.

For the full men’s singles draw, click the link below.

International German Open: main draw.

Melzer Moves on in Stuttgart; Ferrer Continues His Success in Sweden

MercedesCup—Stuttgart, Germany

French Open semifinalist Jurgen Melzer advanced to the quarterfinals of the Stuttgart event today after defeating hometown hopeful Mischa Zverev 7-5, 7-5.

Using an accurate blend of flat backhands and drop shots, Melzer broke serve on four of 11 occasions, while winning 64 percent of his first serve points.

Improving to 30-15 on the season, Melzer will next face Albert Montanes, who needed three sets to advance past Juan Ignacio Chela 7-5, 3-6, 6-2.

Montanes remains in contention for his second Tour title this year after defending his Estoril title earlier this year. The Spaniard’s triumph in Portugal featured a semifinal victory over Roger Federer.

German Simon Greul dismissed Gilles Simon 6-4, 7-5 on the strength of four aces and three breaks of serve.

Simon, who is attempting to return to the form that carried him to the No. 6 ranking in the world back in 2008, was far from his best against his No. 73 ranked opponent.

The day’s final match will feature an entertaining affair between Horacio Zeballos and No. 4 seed Juan Carlos Ferrero.

Ferrero began the season in stellar form by winning two clay titles, while Argentine Zeballos will be full of confidence this week after aiding his Davis Cup squad to a 3-2 victory over Russia over the weekend.

SkiStar Swedish Open—Bastad, Sweden

World No. 12 David Ferrer improved on his Tour-leading win-loss mark on clay-courts this season by racking up his 30th victory over Fabio Fognini on Wednesday.

Recording a 6-3, 7-5 victory, Ferrer needed one hour and 37 minutes to defeat his Italian opponent. Winning 63 percent of his total service points, Ferrer’s comfort and off forehand into the backhand corner of Fognini became instrumental towards his win.

Ferrer will next face Pablo Cuevas, who defeated Pere Riba 6-4, 6-2.

Ferrer leads Cuevas 1-0 in career head-to-head meetings. Ferrer defeated the Uruguayan during his title march in Acapulco earlier this year.

Italian Andreas Seppi needed a tooth and nail performance before prevailing past countryman Potito Starace 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (7). The blockbuster affair, which lasted two hours and 31 minutes, featured three breaks of serve by either player.

Capturing a crucial mini-break during the third set tiebreak, Seppi improved to 2-1 over Starace while picking up his 13th match win of the year.

Seppi will next face the winner of the day’s last match between No. 1 seed Robin Soderling and Andreas Vinciguerra.

Soderling will be attempting to defend the lone clay title of his career this week.

Tournament Preview and Day 1 Review for MercedesCup and SkiStar Swedish Open

Tournament Previews:

The summer clay-court swing will take over proceedings this week on the ATP World Tour. I’m really not sure why the ATP sanctions clay events leading up the the US Open, but I guess every tournament wants a piece of the pie, and it’s simply not possible to fit in all the clay events before the start of the French Open.

This week’s German and Swedish events will feature 28-man fields. The MercedesCup, which provides a brand new Mercedes Benz to the yearly champion, will feature: Nikolay Davydenko, Jurgen Melzer, Gael Monfils, and Juan Carlos Ferrero.

Davydenko, who recently returned to action from a wrist injury, split his two Davis Cup matches over the weekend in a losing effort to Argentina. Reaching the semifinals in Stuttgart on two occasions, Davydenko will face the winner of Daniel Gimeno-Traver or defending champ Jeremy Chardy in second-round action.

In a effort to increase the high profile names at the 250 point level, the ATP decided to provide the top four seeds at selected tournaments with first-round byes. Again, I am in favor of better players playing in more events, but having to win only four rounds to take home a Tour title certainly does not make the tournament more prestigious.

Nevertheless, Davydenko could be in for an earlier than expected departure this week, considering that German Philipp Kohlschreiber is playing at home, and he prefers the clay-court surface. Davydenko is slated to meet Kohlschreiber in the semifinals.

Former French Open champ Ferrero is also one to watch this week. The aging Spaniard took home two smaller clay-court titles earlier this year, and he seems to play well when the big boys are not in his way.

Moving onto the SkiStar Swedish Open in Båstad. This 250 point event will feature native hero Robin Soderling.

Landing in his second straight French Open final in June, Soderling returns to the venue where he captured his first career clay-court title. The high quality field will boast such names as Fernando Verdasco, David Ferrer, and Nicolas Almagro.

Voted as the ATP World Tour’s favorite 250 point tournament of the year for eight straight years, the ocean side oasis provides great beaches and scenery for the players to enjoy.

Fresh off of their World Cup victory and Davis Cup quarterfinal defeat, the Spanish contingent will enter Sweden with mixed emotions. Losing both his singles and doubles matches over the weekend in France, Verdasco will be adamant on reaching his fifth final of the year.

Advancing to the semifinals in 2008, Verdasco will face Jonathan Dasnieres De Veigy or Stephane Robert in second-round action.

Elsewhere, Almagro will be tough to stop this week, considering that he gave reigning French Open champ Rafael Nadal two of his toughest matches on the dirt this season. Almagro has all the shots to win any clay-court event that he enters, and he will look to feed off of his 2007 finals appearance.

The first place winner in Båstad will pocket € 72,150 and more importantly 250 ATP World Tour points.

This should be a great event—one in which I hope to visit next year—and as it stands now, I’ll take Soderling to reclaim his crown.

With the previews for this week completed, let’s now take a look at day one results for both Stuttgart and Bastad.

MercedesCup—Stuttgart, Germany

Switzerland’s third ranked player Marco Chiudinelli scored a first-round upset win over No. 8 seed Victor Hanescu during Monday’s action.

Defeating his Romanian opponent 7-6(4), 6-3, Chiudinelli won 81 percent of his first serve points, while breaking serve on one of two occasions. Improving to 8-18 on the year, Chiudinelli will next face either Bjorn Phau or a qualifier in the second-round.

Elsewhere, the day’s final match featured German player Mischa Zverev dismissing Sergiy Stakhovsky 6-4, 6-3.

Dropping down to No. 150 in the world, Zverev previously reached the semifinals in Marseille, and the quarterfinals at Halle this year. Outgunning his Ukrainian opponent in front of a sparse crowd, Zverev won 79 percent of his first serve points, while striking two aces.

Winning his seventh match of the season, the Russian turned German will next face Albert Montanes or Philipp Petzschner for a place in the quarterfinals.

SkiStar Swedish Open—Båstad, Sweden

Two-time finalist Andreas Vinciguerra survived a first-round struggle against Daniel Brands of Germany on Monday. Prevailing 7-6 (6), 6-7 (5), 6-4, Vinciguerra needed two hours and 10 minutes to record his first victory of the season.

Once ranked as high as No. 33 in the world (May 2001), Vinciguerra has encountered numerous injuries which have derailed his career. Always adamant on enjoying his hometown events, Vinciguerra will next face top seed Robin Soderling in an all-Swedish affair.

Elsewhere, Potitio Starace blitzed past Florent Serra 6-2, 6-2, while Pere Riba saved four match points at 6-2 down in the third set to advance past Peter Luczak 4-6, 6-2, 7-6 (6).

Starace, who prefers the clay-courts in Europe, broke serve on four of eight occasions while improving to 14-15 on the year. Starace will next face either countryman Andreas Seppi or Marcel Granollers from Spain.

Riba’s miraculous comeback was highlighted by seven aces and diligent baseline play. Currently holding the No. 80 ranking in the world, Riba captured his fourth win of the season, and will next face Paul-Henri Mathieu or Pablo Cuevas.

The day’s final match will pit Fabio Fognini vs. local wildcard Filip Prpic.

W: Djokovic and Soderling win Thrillers on Super Monday; Murray Cruises Over Querrey

No. 3 seed Novak Djokovic and French Open finalist Robin Soderling won barn burner matches at Wimbledon on Monday. By contrast, Andy Murray was an easy winner in front of a supportive crowd.

Playing former champ and recent Halle winner Lleyton Hewitt on Court 1, Djokovic used his improved serve and attacking return game to offset the rhythm of the Australian.

Capturing the match 7-5, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4, Djokovic advanced to his third career Wimbledon quarterfinal, and will next face the winner of Andy Roddick or Yen-Hsun Lu.

With the win, Djokovic advanced to his fourth straight Grand Slam quarterfinal.

Hard-hitting Swede Soderling needed five grueling sets to fight past a determined David Ferrer.

Prevailing 6-2, 5-7, 6-2, 3-6, 7-5, Soderling was given a much tougher match than originally anticipated.

Ferrer, who has never been known for his grass-court expertise, fought diligently before losing his serve for a final time in the 11th game of the fifth set.

Tying his best ever result with a fourth-round showing, Ferrer once again proved that his fighting spirit was good enough to compete on any surface.

With the win, Soderling will next face the winner of Rafael Nadal or Paul-Henri Mathieu.

The Swede is making his first appearance in the quarterfinals of Wimbledon.

The Tibro native has lost a total of two sets en route to the quarterfinals.

While Djokovic and Soderling struggled to reach the quarterfinals, Brit Murray had an easy day at the office against American Sam Querrey.

Winning in straight sets 7-5, 6-3, 6-4, Murray overcame some sloppy play in the first set before dismissing his big serving opponent.

Leading 5-2 in the first set, Murray would lose three games in a row before rebounding to lead one set to love.

Using his slice backhand to great affect, Murray won his 12th straight set at The Championships, while reaching the final eight for the second straight year.

Murray will next face Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who dismissed countryman Julien Benneteau earlier in the day.

W: David Ferrer Third-Round Press Conference

Q. Can you answer in English about Soderling? You met him a couple times. How do you feel about meeting him now?

DAVID FERRER: Okay. It will be a very difficult match, no? I think Soderling serve really well and he play very fast. I need to be very focus all the time, no, and serve with a good percentage.

Q. Wimbledon has been your least successful Grand Slam. How are you finding the grass these days? Is it getting better? Easier for you?

DAVID FERRER: It’s difficult for me. With my game, it’s not easy. But I think now that the players who can play in the baseline, who can receive, and that is important, no?

I think now all the tennis players play in the baseline, no? It’s more slowly, the court, the balls, I think so.

Wimbledon Day 6 Blog: Shark in Water; The Other Spaniard; French Focus

Wimbledon—London, England

Don’t look now, but Robin Soderling is playing awfully well at Wimbledon this year.

Not losing his serve en route to his second straight round-of-sixteen, the missile hitting Swede took apart another quality opponent in Thomaz Bellucci today. Saving a majority of his break points with 120 MPH second serves, Soderling displayed unbreakable confidence during the most crucial moments of the match.

It seems that ever since Bjorn Borg touted his countryman to become the No. 1 player in the world, Sodelring has obliged the 11-time Slam champ with the best tennis of his career. As Brad Gilbert said during today’s telecast: “Not losing your serve throughout the first week won’t win you the title, but it’s certainly a start.”

Start to finish, Soderling appears ready to pounce on the next tier of Tour success.

Producing an overall level of mesmerizing power, Soderling has only lost 16 of 145 first serve points thus far in the event. The Tibro native is starting to remind me of how Mark Philippoussis used to play at the Big W—with the added variable of a stronger backhand, and perhaps an even stronger forehand. Soderling may not say much on court; he may not scream and bark at the chair umpire like some glorified champions of the past. But what Soderling can lay claim to is that he’s not afraid of any foe, and his potential quarterfinal match with top seed Rafael Nadal could be the match of the event from a quality of shot perspective.

Soderling will continue his side show performance in the next round against another Spaniard David Ferrer.

On that note, onto dah-VEED fuh-RER…

Forgotten Tenacity

From a tennis community standpoint, it’s very easy for most of us to forget that there are other intense players on the circuit apart from Rafael Nadal. On top of the forgetful nature of most tennis fans, image the task of remembering that there’s another feisty Spaniard that readily rivals Nadal’s on-court intensity?

Could what I’m saying really have some merit, or is it simply unthinkable to imagine that Nadal’s intensity could be matched? Well, I definitely would argue that Nadal’s countryman David Ferrer is right up there, or in some cases even more intense on-court.

Taking in a few of Ferrer’s points today against loose-limb Frenchman Jeremy Chardy, I couldn’t help but marvel (once again) in the Spaniard’s desire to win every point. Ferrer is probably his own worst enemy, and he’s also potentially the least confident of the top player’s in the world. Never one to toot his own horn, Ferrer has always been one of the most nervous players that I’ve ever been around, and for those of you who aren’t aware, the 28-year-old is also a serious smoker.

Putting aside the Spaniard’s unhealthy choice of stress relief, Ferrer’s ability to fight for every point in a match is admirable. Gaining a two set lead against Chardy on Court 12, Ferrer quickly went onto lose the next two sets in the blink of an eye. However, remaining steadfast in his fighting ways, Ferrer broke Chardy when the Frenchman was serving for the match at 5-4, and later went onto grab a subsequent break of serve to win the match.

In an interesting note, Ferrer’s march at Wimbledon has been his deepest at a Slam this season. Losing in the second-round of the Aussie Open, and the third-round at Roland Garros, Ferrer’s unlikely charge on his least favorite surface is really not that surprising.

Roger Federer has always said that Ferrer’s return of serve is perhaps the best in the business, and with the grass helping out the Spaniard’s serve, it becomes easy addition when figuring out why he’s in the second week.

I remember back in 2007 at the US Open when Carlos Moya commented on his countryman’s level of play. When Moya was asked if he was surprised to see Ferrer reach the semifinals, the former world No. 1 responded: “We’ve all believed in Ferrer for quite sometime, it’s just that David hasn’t believed in himself when he’s needed to.”

Ferrer would go onto to lose to Novak Djokovic in the semifinals of the US Open after leading 3-0 in the first set. Ferrer subsequently finished the year strong, but fell off the map considerably the following year.

Entering this year with vigor and steam behind his court speed, Ferrer amassed a superb clay-court record, and now finds himself in the sweet 16 at Wimbledon.

There’s certainly a lot for Ferrer to believe in; let’s just hope he realizes that sooner than later.

The diminutive “other Spaniard” will next face Soderling for a place in the quarterfinals.

French Fortitude

Seldom performing well on their home turf at Roland Garros, the French contingent has displayed resounding form at Wimbledon this year.

With seven men reaching the third-round, highlighted by Nicolas Mahut holding John Isner’s hand in history forever, let’s take a quick look at how the French players have performed at Wimbledon this year.

Nicolas Mahut: History and fatigue aside, Mahut’s Wimbledon finally came to an end today by losing a four set doubles match with partner Arnaud Clement. Playing a total 358 games throughout the qualifying rounds and his first-round defeats, Mahut racked up a modest £13,875 for his efforts.

Is there an early pension fund available at the All England Club? Sports can certainly be cruel in more ways than one.

Arnaud Clement: Speaking of the wily veteran, Clement did go down in meek fashion to Roger Federer, but at 32 will find himself in the top 100 for another year because of his third-round showing.

Gael Monfils: Tying his best career performance at Wimbledon, Monfils went down to Lleyton Hewitt, while “stretching” his French flair on countless occasions.

Julien Benneteau: Benneteau can do it all, and considering that he’s got Fabio Fognini up next, he couldn’t have asked for a better opponent.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga: Defeating a little known German to reach the second week, Tsonga’s big serve and deft touch translate well on the lawns of London.

Gilles Simon: There’s no better way to get out of a slump than to face a Spanish qualifier in the first-round, while receiving a walkover in round two. Simon won’t be complaining about his draw thus far, but one thinks that his third-round match against Andy Murray will be all she wrote for the former top 10 player.

Jeremy Chardy: Flashy power hitter fell apart against David Ferrer today, but showed some signs of life after an absolutely dismal year.

Paul-Henri Mathieu: Former world No. 1 junior is playing like a man who wants to make up for lost time. Entering Wimbledon with a 2-9 record, Mathieu is playing about as well as he ever has, and his ranking should reenter the top 50 after the fortnight is over. For Mathieu, he’d love nothing more than to reach his first Slam quarterfinal on Monday.

Well folks, that wraps up week one from Wimbledon. This year’s event has brought forth some compelling action, and there’s no doubt that week two will provide even more scintillating tennis.

See everyone on Monday from London.

Federer Defeats Ferrer; Sets Up Nadal Rematch

Mutua Madrileña Madrid Open—Spain

Defending champion Roger Federer reached his second final of the season in Madrid on Saturday by defeating the diligent and consistent efforts of David Ferrer 7-5, 3-6, 6-3.

Needing two hours and five minutes to capture his 10th straight victory over Ferrer, Federer displayed some of his best clay-court tennis of the season.

Battling through a tough opening set, Federer grabbed the pair’s first and only break of serve during the 11th game.

Federer’s march to a straight set win would be interrupted in the second set by the determined nature of his opponent. Ferrer, who had amassed the most wins on clay this season coming into the event, began to dictate the tempo of the baseline exchanges by keeping Federer in a neutral, non-offensive position. Using his backhand cross-court to draw slice replies from the Swiss, Ferrer jumped out to any early 3-1 lead, before stretching his margin to 5-2. Serving to send the match into a deciding set, Ferrer would capitalize on his first set point by drawing a passing shot error from Federer.

Ferrer’s second set win became only his third lifetime in 23 sets against Federer.

With both players remaining on even terms throughout the opening stages of the third set, Federer would gain an elusive, and final break of the match during the eighth game.

Serving out his place in Sunday’s final, Federer will next face his long-time rival Rafael Nadal.

Nadal dismissed Nicolas Almagro 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 earlier in the day.

While Federer remains adamant on defending his upcoming French Open title, he substantially trails Nadal in career head-to-head meetings. Nadal currently leads Federer 13-7 lifetime, and 9-2 on clay-courts. Federer did however defeat Nadal in last year’s Madrid final.

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