David Ferrer battles past Feliciano Lopez into the semis – Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell 2012
Seeded third in the draw, David Ferrer of Spain had to bring out his best to overcome countryman, Feliciano Lopez, in three sets 6-7(4), 7-6(7), 6-3 in the quarter-final at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell on Friday. Ferrer needed
two hours and 45 minutes to beat the third seed in a marathon match.
Both players served brilliantly, as the match saw only one break despite being held on the clay court, which is the slowest surface and offers numerous chances to strike on opponent’s serve.
Ferrer and Lopez failed to make any breakthrough in the first set, levelling the score at 6-6 and taking it to a tie-breaker. The lower ranked player, Lopez, secured three straight points in the end to capture it 7-6(4).
The left-hander did not hit any ace but maintained a decent first serve percentage of 70, claiming 21 of the 32 points on them. He won 10 of the 14 points on the second serve and put away the only break threat he came across in
the first set.
In a similar fashion to the opener, Ferrer and Lopez held their serve in the first 12 games of the second set and evened out the score at 6-6 to force a tie-breaker. Lopez came near to winning the contest, as he started off with
a 3-0 lead and then took the score to 4-1 but then Ferrer clinched three points in a row to level it at 4-4. After that, they went on equal terms till 7-7 but at that moment Ferrer snatched two consecutively and sealed it 7-6(7).
The 5ft 9in tall, Ferrer, made the most of winning his momentum, as he struck in the sixth game of decider and won his next serve to build a 5-2 lead. The Spaniard capitalised on the single break to win 6-3.
Ferrer benefited from his improved serve in the final set, as he pounded three aces and clinched 14 of the 17 points on the first deliveries.
The Spaniard will take on Milos Raonic of Canada in the semi-final. The Canadian upset second set, Andy Murray, in straight sets 6-4, 7-6(3) in the quarters.
Meanwhile, Fernando Verdasco, who won the title here in 2010, advanced to the last four after Kei Nishikori of Japan retired due to an abdominal injury during their quarter-final. Verdasco was leading 4-2 in the first set when
the Japanese decided to quit the match.
Tags: