David Ferrer dodges upset against Nicolas Almagro in round three – Mutua Madrid Open 2012
Spanish number two, David Ferrer, faced one of the toughest contests in the pre-quarters of the Mutua Madrid Open on Thursday. World number 13, Nicolas Almagro, provided the strongest resistance but bowed down after surviving two
hours and 53 minutes. Final scores were 7-6(5), 3-6, 7-6(8).
The scores tally shows the level of intensity at the blue clay courts of Madrid. Despite having a pathetic 0-9 head-to-head record against Ferrer, the 11th seed Spaniard never looked like a minnow and fought like a hero;
providing best entertainment to the local supporters.
Ferrer took lead in the second game of the first set and went ahead to register scores of 3-0. Both players swapped three breakpoints on the trot that went in favour of Almagro and he levelled the scores at 4-4.
No more breakpoints and both players entered a tie-breaker round in the match. With just a slight mistake at the end by the 11th seed Spaniard, Ferrer stole the win and took a set lead.
Almagro stayed focused and won a breakpoint in the sixth game of the second set that helped him to register a lead of 4-2. He looked threatening and proved his worth by hanging on to that lead until the end of the set.
Almagro started the second set at a high note and kept it to that level until the end. However, the sixth ranked Spaniard also continued to meet the likes of his opponent and didn’t choke. Both players were in trouble on a couple
of occurrences in the set but survived the scares to enforce the final set tie-breaker.
Both players met blow by blow throughout the tie-breaker but in the end, the luck swirled in favour of Ferrer who clinched a couple of points to book a spot in the quarter-finals.
David Ferrer will lock horns with the former world number one, Roger Federer, to play for the spot in the last four. It will be a competitive match considering the form of both players. However, the Swiss Maestro is still the hot
favourite to win the match and close down the point’s difference with his arch rival, Rafael Nadal.
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