2011 French Open: Fernando Verdasco rolls past Juan Monaco into the second round
Former top ten player Fernando Verdasco of Spain survived a third set meltdown to defeat Argentinean Juan Monaco, ranked 43rd in the world, in four sets 6-2, 7-5, 4-6, 6-4 in the round of 128 of French Open at Roland Garros in Paris on Tuesday. The Spaniard needed three hours and 27 minutes to overpower his opponent in a marathon match.
Verdasco had a fine start to the match as he broke Monaco in the third and seventh game of the first set to claim it 6-2. The Madrid resident kept his first serve percentage at 60 percent and bagged 80 percent of the points on the first serve in the opening set. The left-handed returned quiet well, converting 50 percent of the returns into points in the first set. Verdasco saved the only break point he faced and capitalized on two of the five break point chances he created on Monaco’s serve in the first set.
The Spaniard and Argentinean broke each other once in the first ten games of the second set to level the score at 5-5. Verdasco got a breakthrough in the eleventh game and consolidated on it, clinching the set 7-5. The 27-year-old fired a couple of aces and 70 percent of the first deliveries in the second set, grabbing 75 percent of the points on them. Verdasco played attacking game as he hit 19 winners and made 16 unforced errors in the second set. The Spaniard converted two of the four break points he received and saved one of the two he faced on his own serve in the second set.
In the third set, Verdasco played poorly as he was too erratic. He was broken in the seventh game, losing the set 4-6. The Spaniard had a first serve percentage of just 48 percent and committed a horrible 25 unforced errors in the third set. Monaco delivered 72 percent of the first serves, converting 61 percent of them into points in the third set. The Argentinean won one of the seven break points he received and succeeded in saving the only break point he faced in the third set.
Monaco was looking to take the match into a deciding set as he broke Verdasco in the seventh game to go ahead 4-3. However, Verdasco fought back and grabbed three successive games, breaking the Argentinean in the eighth and tenth game to win the set 6-4. The Spaniard reduced his errors, committing twelve unforced errors in the fourth set. The six feet and two inches tall hit fifteen winners compared to just five by his opponent in the fourth set.
Verdasco is slated to meet world number 40 Xavier Malisse of Belgium in the second round. The Belgian defeated Russian Dmitry Tursunov in five sets 7-5, 3-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 in the first round.
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