Fernando Verdasco outlasts Albert Ramos in the second round – US Open 2012
World number 26, Fernando Verdasco of Spain, faced some tough times before prevailing over his countryman, Albert Ramos, in four sets 7-6(4), 5-7, 7-6(5), 6-4 in the second round of the US Open.
Ramos was first to take lead, snatching a break in the second game to grab a 2-0 lead. However, his advantage was short lived, as Verdasco did not take much time to even out the proceedings at 2-2. The following eight games went
with serve, taking the score to 6-6 and forcing a tie-breaker. Verdasco had the upper hand from its start, as he captured five of the first six points to race to a 5-1 lead. Ramos tried to come at par but the gap was too big to finish, as Verdasco closed it
7-6(4).
After losing the opener with the closest of margins, Ramos struck in the very first game of the second set to go up 1-0 but Verdasco broke back immediately to square off the score at 1-1. There was no strike by any of the two players
in the following 10 games, levelling the proceedings at 5-5. Ramos hit a blow to Verdasco at that moment and made the most of it to claim it 7-5.
In the third set, Ramos and Verdasco served superbly, as they did not drop it even once till the end, taking the score to 6-6 and forcing a tie-breaker. Just like the first set, Verdasco built an early lead and then capitalised
on it to win 7-6(5).
The 25th seed, Verdasco, came roaring in the fourth set, as he dropped only a single point in the first two games to attain a 2-0 advantage. Ramos was not willing to do down tamely, as he hit back in the fourth to tie
the score at 2-2. Verdasco stung a break again in the fifth and consolidated on it to move ahead 4-2. The higher ranked Spaniard of these two did not allow Ramos to make a comeback this time, sealing it 6-4.
Verdasco will lock horns with the world number one, Roger Federer of Switzerland, in the third round.
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