David Ferrer beats Juan Monaco for an Abierto Mexicano Telcel semi-final berth
Top seed and World No.6, David Ferrer defeated Juan Monaco of Argentina 2-6, 7-5, 6-2 in a hard fought encounter during the quarterfinal stage of the Abierto Mexicano Telcel in Acapulco, Mexico.
The 28-year-old from Spain was pushed to the absolute limit by the 7th seeded Monaco, who dominated the early exchanges of the match. Ferrer showed his characteristic fighting spirit though, and overcame the deficit to emerge the clear victor.
This match was the pair’s fourth encounter. Perhaps surprisingly, Monaco has won three of their five previous encounters. However, they had not faced each other for two years prior to this meeting and with Ferrer’s recent performances he was always the clear
favorite.
That was not immediately apparent during the match though, as Ferrer started out on the back foot. The first set saw the Argentine dominate despite serving worse than his opponent. He managed to land in only 52 per cent of his first serves, compared to the
top seed’s 62 per cent.
His conversion of serves into points was better however, since he was able to win 69 per cent of the points on his first serve and 75 per cent on his second. Ferrer only managed a weak 44 per cent and 60 per cent respectively. This resulted in 4 break points
for the underdog, 2 of which he converted.
The second set was the most even of the three. The first serve percentages were almost identical to the first set, being 63 and 53 for Ferrer and Monaco respectively. This time, the Spaniard was somewhat better at converting and won 61 per cent of his total
service points. Also, Monaco’s second serve was more vulnerable; he ended up conceding two break points and was broken both times. Despite pulling back a break, he could do nothing when the top seed pushed ahead.
The last set was a reversal of the first. While both their serving percentages remained steady, the Argentine lost control of his service points completely. He won only 39 per cent of his total service points and was broken thrice. Despite a last game that
went to deuce several times, the Spaniard was almost regal in his dispatching of Monaco. And with the effortless victory in the last set, he progresses to the semi-finals of his first tournament since the Australian Open.
In his next round, Ferrer faces Alexandr Dolgopolov, the man he defeated in Melbourne to get to the semis. Dolgopolov is playing like a man inspired, as his straight sets win over Stanislas Wawrinka in his quarterfinal match shows. With Ferrer struggling
a little on serve, the next match has been wrenched wide open. Tennis fans await that particular encounter most eagerly, and hope that it will live up to expectations in terms of content.
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