David Ferrer ousts Fernando Verdasco in the second round – Internazionali BNL d’Italia 2012
In an all Spanish second round match, David Ferrer toppled Fernando Verdasco in straight sets 6-3, 7-6(3) to advance to the round of 16 at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome, Italy on Tuesday. The sixth seed needed an hour
and 59 minutes to complete the win over his 16th ranked countryman.
Verdasco was coming from a very good performance at the Mutua Madrid Open, where he stunned the King of Clay, Rafael Nadal, in the round of 16.
Verdasco was first to take lead, snatching a break in the opening game of the match and winning his next serve to gain a 2-0 advantage. However, that lead did not last for too long, as Ferrer hit back immediately to square off
the score at 2-2. Ferrer had the winning momentum on his side, allowing his opponent to win only one game later on and sealing it 6-3.
Ferrer fired three aces and committed a single double fault. Whereas, Verdasco could not hit any ace and made three double faults in the first set. The left-hander put in just 57 percent of the first serves and bagged merely seven
of the 13 points on them. Verdasco failed to save any of the three break threats he came across and availed one of the two chances he created.
In a similar fashion to the first set, Verdasco drew the first blood in the second, as he struck in the second game to move ahead 2-0 but just like the previous occasion, Ferrer did not take much time to equalise it at 2-2. The
rest of the proceedings went with serves to take the score to 6-6, forcing a tie-breaker. The sixth seed, Ferrer, raised the level of his game at the right time, snatching six of the first seven points to attain a 6-1 lead. The Spaniard converted the third
match point to triumph 7-6(3).
Ferrer smashed one ace and 78 percent of the first deliveries, clinching 26 of the 35 points on them. The Valencia, Spain resident lost six of the 10 points on the second serves but compensated that by winning seven of the 13 on
the second returns. The 30-year-old evaded three of the four break points and converted one of the six he received in the second set.
The Spaniard is pitted against French contender, Gilles Simon, in the third round. The 11th seed, Simon, defeated Guillermo Garcia-Lopez in the second round.
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