Nicolas Almagro vs. David Ferrer: Abierto Mexicano Telcel Preview
Later today two of Spain’s most in-form players shall face off for the last title up for grabs at the Golden Swing. Abierto Mexicano Telcel is the Crowning Jewel of the Latin American tournaments, and the contenders for the title are former champions David
Ferrer and Nicolas Almagro. Both are in stupendous nick; Ferrer is currently World no.6 and top seed here, as well as defending champion. Almagro is on a 13 match winning streak and has won two tournaments in two weeks.
Both these players have seen resurgent profiles this year. Due to the injury woes of World no.1 Rafael Nadal and the terrible form of Fernando Verdasco, Ferrer and Almagro have had ample opportunity to dominate the clay court scene. While this is the World
no.4’s first tournament since the Australian Open, his slated opponent has been having a ball in Latin America. If he wins here, he’ll be making history as the only man to have won three trophies during the Golden Swing.
The two men play a similar brand of tennis. As specialists of the red surface, they’re baseline counterpunchers of extreme physical and mental endurance. Ferrer is the better chaser of the two while Almagro has the stronger ground-strokes; neither is a master
of the serve.
In this tournament so far, the top seed has dropped two sets compared to his opponent’s one. Against Juan Monaco, the 7th seed, Ferrer dropped the first set 2-6. Against the 6th seed Alexandr Dolgopolov, he dropped it 5-7. In both matches
though he came back to completely dominate the match. Dolgopolov was specially reduced to rubble, only winning 2 of the last 14 games played in his semifinal match against Ferrer. Almagro’s only lost set came against Santiago Giraldi of Columbia in the quarterfinals,
when the World no.13 dropped the middle set in an uncharacteristic loss of concentration.
Analysing all of the matches played by the two players in this tournament so far, a trend of multiple breaks of serve can be seen. Neither has been particularly dominant while serving, which is often the case in contests fought out on clay. In this final
though, service points shall be key, especially so for Almagro. Almagro should look to wrap the match up fast, considering his opponent’s penchant for spectacular comebacks.
The quality of tennis that David Ferrer and Nicolas Almagro have played so far is second to none. Both players will surely give their best, and one can hope to witness some amazing talent on court. Considering all the statistics though, an Almagro victory
seems slightly more likely than a Ferrer one, for the 25-year-old is as hot as a thermonuclear bomb.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely of the writer’s and do not reflect bettor.com’s official editorial policy.
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