TennisToday

David Ferrer into Rome Quarterfinals

ATP Masters 1000 Rome - Third Round

6 David Ferrer d 11 Gilles Simon - 60 76(5)

How's this as a mark for an amazingly consistent career:

This is David's 27th trip to a Masters 1000 quarterfinal: 18-8.

His 1st Masters Qf appearance was way back at Hamburg in 2004.

It's his 3rd at Rome - he won his previous 2 and advanced to the final in '10.

David is 30, currently ranked #6 and owns 14 ATP titles including 3 this year.

He will play the winner of Murray/Gasquet.

He's a man to admire.

Photos: Top Getty Images - bottom from David's Twitter

Rafael Nadal Wins 7th Title at Barcelona

ATP 500 Barcelona - Final

1 Rafael Nadal d 3 David Ferrer - 76(1) 75

Another Sunday - another historic title. This time a 7th title at Barcelona.

With 8 titles in M-C, Rafa becomes the 1st man to win 7 titles at 2 events.

He extends his match streak in the month of April to 77.

He now has 34 consecutive wins in Barcelona, he didn't play in '09.

Tough day for David as he goes home a 4-time runner-up. All to Rafa.

Instead of going on and on, how about you watch the point of the match.

Hmm, no. The point of the tournament:

Rafael Nadal & David Ferrer to Play for Barcelona Title

ATP 500 Barcelona - Seminfinal Results & Final Preview

1 Rafael Nadal d 9 Fernando Verdasco - 60 64

3 David Ferrer d 11 Milos Raonic - 76(2) 76(5)

1 Rafael Nadal vs 3 David Ferrer - H2H: 13-4/RN

Rafa is going for his 7th title at Barcelona tomorrow.

He will see a familiar face in the final - it will be their 4th at BCN.

Rafa has won the previous 3: '08, '09 and '11.

David is only 1 of 7 players to have 4 or more wins over Rafa.

Elite club: Only Federer, Djokovic, Davydenko & Murray have 5 or more.

Daunting: Rafa rarely loses in the month of April. Or on clay.

David is looking to add a 4th title on the season - Rafa just his 2nd.

Prepare for some long grinding points and lots of sliding.

Clay court tennis sure is fun to watch when two masters play. Enjoy.

Photos: Reuters

David Ferrer Fights into Semifinals at Barcelona

ATP 500 Barcelona - Quarterfinal

3 David Ferrer d 7 Feliciano Lopez - 67(4) 76(7) 63

Phew: David saved 3 match points to move into the semifinals.

David improves his year to 27-4, this includes 3 titles.

Remember, he's had frustration at Barcelona over the years...

3 times he's lost to countryman Rafael Nadal in the finals: '08, '09 and '11.

Can he finally break thru?

He'll have to get past 11 Milos Raonic first - H2H: 3-0/DF...

For a right to play the winner of Nadal/Verdasco in the other Sf.

Any way you slice it a great final is in the offing on Sunday.

Photo: Reuters

David Ferrer Wins 3rd Straight Title at Acapulco

ATP 500 Acapulco - Final

1 David Ferrer d 8 Fernando Verdasco - 61 62

Oh yea, that sombrero!

This is David's 14th career ATP title and a tour-leading 3rd title of 2012.

Um: Ferrer is now 18-1 on the year.

The win will bump him back up to #5 after a week at #6.

All 3 of his Acapulco titles have come at the expense of fellow Spaniards:

In '10 Ferrero was his foe and in '11 it was Almagro - both in 3 sets.

David: I am very proud to have won in Acapulco for a third consecutive time.

David next plays Indian Wells where he lost 2nd R to Karlovic last year.

Oh wait... I was there for that match. It was a tough loss.

***

Armada: The doubles too was an all-Spanish affair.

Fernando Verdasco & David Marrero beat Marcel Granollers & Mark Lopez.

That's back-to-back weeks with a dubs title for Fern & David.

They might want to consider keeping this partnership going.

Photos: Reuters

ATP's Weekend Arm Raisers for Feb 26, 2012

ATP 250 Buenos Aires - Final

1 David Ferrer d 2 Nicolas Almagro - 46 63 62

And that's title #13 in a solid career and his 2nd on the year - so far.

David moves his H2H over countryman Nicolas to 9-0.

He'll continue the Golden Swing of South America at Acapulco this week.

ATP 500 Memphis - Final

Jurgen Melzer d 4 Milos Raonic - 75 76(4)

This marks the 4th time Jurgen has lifted an ATP trophy.

He had a remarkable seed-toppling week also downing 1 Isner & 3 Stepanek.

Moving up: The win bumps him 19 placed to #19.

No rest: Jurgen is playing singles and doubles at Delray Beach this week.

I'm exhausted just typing these 4 sentences.

ATP 250 Marseille - Final

4 Juan Martin Del Potro d Michael Llodra - 64 64

DelPo bags career title #10 on the ATP tour.

He will not defend his title at Delray Beach opting instead to play at Dubai.

He's (rightfully) back playing with the big boys.

Photos: Reuters, AP, Reuters

David Ferrer Gives Us a Little Tummy Porn while Winning Title at Auckland

Auckland ATP 250 - Final

1 David Ferrer d Olivier Rochus - 63 64

David Ferrer defends his title and 3rd overall in Auckland - 12th career.

He solidifies his #5 ranking and seed going into the Australian Open.

Of course, I hate when these boys play the week before a Slam.

It never seems to work out very well. Hopefully Ferrer will reverse the curse.

He has a decent draw until the quarters where he'll most likely face Djokovic.

Oh, and a shout-out to Ollie - a nice late career showing.

Photo: Reuters

Andy Murray's Hat-Trick in Asia Earns Him #3 Ranking

Andy wins title Bangkok over Donald Young - check.

Then he takes the Tokyo trophy away from defender Rafael Nadal - check.

Then he makes it a hat-trick in Shanghai over David Ferrer - checkmate.

His reward - Andy will take over as the #3 player in the ranking.

Dumping Roger Federer outside the top 3 for the 1st time since 2003.

This is Andy's 2nd Shanghai title ('10) and 8th Masters 1000 title.

He has now won 2 Masters 1000's titles per year for 4 years running.

And if 3 titles weren't enough - he won the dubs in Tokyo with his brother.

Ok dude, time to win a Slam in 2012.

Robin Soderling & JC Ferrero: ATP Weekend Winners

Bastad ATP 250 - Men's Final

1 Robin Soderling d 2 David Ferrer - 62 62

This is Robin's 4th ATP title on the year & the 10th of his career.

He is now 10-10 in finals.

This is the 3rd time Robin's become a 2-time champ: Lyon & Rotterdam.

The win did nothing for his ranking... He's stuck at #5 - way behind Murray.

Battle for #5: Ferrer is at Robin's heels with only 115 points separating them.

Neither of them had a good US swing last year so... It's on.

***

Stuttgart ATP 250 - Men's Final

Juan Carlos Ferrero d Pablo Andujar - 64 60

This is JC's 1st ATP title on the year & the 16th of his career.

He is now 16-18 in finals.

The win moves JC up 21 ranking spots to #64.

Deep field: And that only makes in the #11 player from Spain.

Plum loco.

 

 

David Ferrer Moves into 4th Round at Roland Garros

Roland Garros - Men's Third Round

7 David Ferrer d 31 Sergiy Stakhovsky - 61 61 63

David's tongue should have its own publicist. Kinda not kidding.

That scoreline shows that he's been the 3rd best clay courter this year.

He's moving toward a possible Qf against Roger Federer...

0-fer: But he will first need to get thru (9) Gael Monfils - H2H: 2-0/GM.

Both of those wins came in France - 1 at RG & the other in Davis Cup play.

This time tho Gael will need to bring something extra special to win.

Either way, that should be a wildly entertaining match.

David Ferrer Eases into 3rd Round at Roland Garros

Roland Garros - Men's Second Round

7 David Ferrer d Julien Benneteau - 63 64 62

With Berdych's early departure David has a great shot at moving up to #6.

David has already defended his 3rd R points from last year.

This is his 7th trip to the 3rd round: 2-4. The 2 wins resulted in Qf runs.

He and Roger are now only 2 wins away from a very tasty Qf match.

But first: next up is (31) Sergiy Stakhovsky - H2H: 2-0/DF.

David just straight-setted Sergiy in Madrid a few weeks ago.

***

OMG stat: This was David's 200th match win on clay: 200-92.

Vamos David.

Photo: Getty Images

Novak Djokovic Moves into Sf's at ATP Madrid

Madrid Masters Series 1000 - Quarterfinal

2 Novak Djokovic d 6 David Ferrer - 64 46 63

Fun match today as David tried to hand Novak his 1st loss of the season.

He did manage to take (only) the 7th set off Novak this year.

Novak extends his "best start of the year" to 30-0. 3rd best of Open Era.

He is second only to John McEnroe and Bjorn Borg.

This is Novak's 3rd trip to the Madrid Sf's: 0-2 & 22nd Masters Sf: 13-8.

5 titles for '011: Novak is looking to gain his 6th consecutive final.

He will next play Thomaz Bellucci - H2H: 1-0/ND.

I'd expect that streak to extend to 31-0 by days-end tomorrow.

Photo: Getty Images

Ferrer, Lopez & Monaco All Win Today in Madrid

Eh, I just wanted to post my iPhone TV screen captures.

Madrid Masters Series 1000

2nd R: 6 David Ferrer d Q Adrian Mannarino - 64 06 60

Boys feeding each other bagels is weird.

1st R: Feliciano Lopez d Milos Raonic - 46 76(2) 64

I didn't watch this match but I bet it was a real banger.

Feli's reward? A date with Roger Federer tomorrow night in the Magic Box.

2nd R: Juan Monaco d 9 Gael Monfils - 62 3-0 ret.

Never fear, Gael seemed to just have an upset tummy.

Rafael Nadal Wins His 6th ATP Title at Barcelona

Barcelona ATP 500 - Final

1 Rafael Nadal d 4 David Ferrer - 62 64

Second Sunday in-a-row these 2 have played - David has yet to take a set.

Last weekend's Monte-Carlo scoreline entertained a closer contest: 64 75.

Spare a thought for David - it's just gotta sting, no?

Rafa becomes the only Open Era man to have won 2 events 6 or more times.

King of Clay: 7 titles at M-C, 6 at Barcelona, 5 at Rome and Roland Garros.

Those numbers just keep getting sicker with every passing year.

Rafa is also throwing down a 34 match winning streak on clay.

With his Sf win Rafa joined the exclusive 500 club; he's now 501-105.

At only 24 he is the 2nd youngest to get to 500 behind Bjorn Borg, also 24.

Rafa: It's a very special tournament.

It always has been as I grew up watching this tournament.

It's a historical tournament with a great tradition and great champions.

It's more than a dream to win here six times.

Rafa will take a week off before heading to Madrid where he is the defender.

So far he has seen off all clay challengers...

Things may get interesting in Spain. Can Novak offer resistance on the dirt?

Stay tuned.

David Ferrer Moves into Quarterfinals at Barcelona

Barcelona ATP 500 - Third Round

4 David Ferrer d Victor Hanescu - 63 62

With Rafa winning the biggest clay title so far this year in Monte-Carlo...

The King of Clay is still, well, The King of Clay.

But one must consider David the second best player on the dirt.

Well, at least co-second best - we mustn't forget Nicolas Almagro.

BCN is David's 3rd tournament on clay (11-1) and Nico's 4th (15-2).

Impressive numbers, mostly racked up during the S. American swing in Feb.

Can they step up and threaten Rafa's reign on European dirt this year?

Rafael Nadal Wins 7th Title at ATP Monte-Carlo

Monte-Carlo ATP Masters 1000 - Final

1 Rafael Nadal d 4 David Ferrer - 64 75

If we are being honest, this was not a good match, at all. Very sloppy.

Andy Murray pushing Rafa to 3 hours in the Sf's certainly played a part.

Boy, if I'm Ferrer I'm kicking myself cuz Rafa was prime for the upset.

Rafa made 30 unforced errors today - and some were very un-Rafa-like.

***

Rafa's title numbers: 7th in M-C; 19th at  Masters 1000; 44 on the ATP tour.

Nobody has won 7 straight titles at a tournament ever in ATP tour history.

His record in MC is 39-1, winning 37 straight. Lone loss: Coria in '03.

And this isn't some riny-dink tourny either - this is one level below a Slam.

Speaking of Masters 1000, he increases his record haul to 19...

Two more than Roger Federer & Andre Agassi who are tied in 2nd with 17.

***

Of Rafa's 44 titles today marked his 30th on clay.

Open Era: This ties him for 3rd place with Bjorn Borg & Manuel Orantes.

He trails only Guillermo Vilas (with 45) and Thomas Muster (with 40).

Vilas' record is safe for a while; Rafa only plays 4-5 clay events a year.

***

Rafa will play Barcelona next week where he is a 5-time champ: '05-'09.

He didn't play last year owing to injury so he's kind of going for 6 in-a-row.

With a 1st round bye he'll play either Ginemo-Traver or Starace in the 2nd.

BCN path: Seeded to meet Monfils in Qf & Soderling or Berdych in the Sf's.

The two top seeds on the other half of the draw are Murray & Ferrer.

Yea, the last two players he just beat in Monte-Carlo.

***

Remember Rafa swept all the big clay tournies last year.

Which means he has a ton of points to defend. He started well.

Rafa: I don't think about defending points from previous years...

Only about playing well.

I just keep trying to improve every day, train humbly and improve.

***

Ok, now I'm dying to see Rafa and Novak play each other on clay.

There are 3 opportunities for this to happen: Madrid, Rome & in Paris.

Let's hope for tennis' sake we get at least one.

Photo: Getty Images

Bono Attends Men's Final at ATP Monte-Carlo

Rafael Nadal: Sunday, Bloody Sunday

David Ferrer: I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For

Photo: TV Screen Cap

David Ferrer Sails into ATP Final at Monte-Carlo

Monte-Carlo ATP Masters 1000 - Semifinal

4 David Ferrer d 7 Jurgen Melzer - 63 62

Disappointing: This match wasn't nearly this contest I thought it might be.

David is playing like a man on a mission losing only 17 games into the final.

This is his 2nd trip to a Masters 1000 - he lost last year to Rafa in Rome.

And he's adding ranking points this week as he was a semifinalist last year.

It's hard not to route for a little guy who clearly works so damn hard.

David: I'm full of confidence. I feel good physically, and also with my tennis.

I hope I'll keep going.

Well, heaven knows he must've been happy to see Rafa play a 3 hour match.

No?

Photo: Reuters

David Ferrer Moves into ATP Monte-Carlo Semifinal

Monte-Carlo ATP Masters 1000 - Quarterfinal

4 David Ferrer d 11 Viktor Troicki - 63 63

The win puts David into his 2nd and consecutive Sf in MC: 0-1.

This will also be his 7th Masters 1000 level Sf: 1-5.

David is sure backing up his great 2010 quite nicely, isn't he?

David: I had a very good season so far. I have some good confidence.

That helps me to be consistent in my game on clay.

I hope it's going to continue.

It may just as he next plays Jurgen Melzer - H2H: 3-2/DF.

David has a 2-1 lead on clay, tho Jurgen one the last one at RG last year.

It ought to be a fun one tomorrow.

Photo: Rueters

David Ferrer in Bovet Watch Ad Campaign

Check out these really great photos:

See you next week in Monte Carlo David.

Well, on Tennis Channel I mean.

Special thanks to HCFoo for the heads-up on these.