Fernando Verdasco outplays Steve Darcis in the second round – Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell 2012
Fernando Verdasco, seeded ninth in the tournament draw, beat Steve Darcis of Belgium in a one-sided match, ousting him in straight sets 6-3, 6-1 in the second round at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell in Spain on Tuesday. The 2010
champion, Verdasco, needed only an hour and 12 minutes to complete the win over Darcis.
Verdasco did not take much time to move ahead, breaking the Belgian in the opening game of the match and holding his next serve to grab a 2-0 advantage. Darcis could not make a comeback, getting another blow in the ninth game to
lose it 3-6.
Ranked 20th in the world, Verdasco, gave mixed performance on his serves, as he failed to hit any ace and made a couple of double faults. The Spaniard banged in 74 percent of the first deliveries and captured 13 of the
17 points on them. The left-hander saved the only break point he faced and converted two of the six he received in the opener.
Verdasco continued to dominate in the second set, as he grabbed first three games to attain a 3-0 lead. Darcis held his next serve to reduce the deficit to 1-3 but the Spaniard struck again in the sixth game and capitalized on
the double break to triumph 6-1.
The 28-year-old smacked one ace and did not commit any double fault in the second set. Verdasco had a brilliant conversion rate, winning 12 of the 15 first and four of the seven second serve points. The Spaniard also troubled Darcis
with his returns, as he snatched five of the 11 first and four of the eight second reply points.
Verdasco said, commenting on the proceedings of the match, “I played well and found my comfort zone form the first game. Maybe he was a little tired.”
The 6ft 2in tall is one of the just two former champions in the draw. In the absence of six times champion, Rafael Nadal, he stunned Robin Soderling, ranked eighth at that time, in three sets 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 in the 2010 final to
grab his only title at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell.
The Spaniard added, “This is a special tournament for me. I’m back in Barcelona and I want to do my best.”
Verdasco is drawn to meet the winner of Federico Delbonis of Argentina and 13th seed, Kevin Anderson of South Africa, in the third round.
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