Ferrer Defeats Rafael Nadal to Reach Mubadala World Championship Finals

Posted on December 28, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

David Ferrer has taken down the world’s No. 1 tennis player…

The 31-year-old Spanish tennis star beat his compatriot Rafael Nadal in straight sets during the second day of the Mubadala World Championship in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

Ferrer beat Nadal 6-4, 6-4 in the late afternoon match. It was the world number one’s first match since losing in straight sets to Novak Djokovic in the final of the World Tour Finals in London on November 11.

Playing ahead of the official ATP season-opener in nearby Doha next week, Ferrer looked like the sharper player from the start, breaking in the ninth game to take the first set.

It was more of the same in the second set as Nadal struggled to find his range against an opponent who already had a match under his belt, having defeated Stanislas Wawrinka in the quarterfinals on Thursday.

“I think, for a first match to play against a guy who has practiced for a month and who played a match yesterday, on a very fast court, I was happy with how I played,” Nadal told The National newspaper. “I had a few opportunities, break points, but he played well and he converted the chances better than me. I had a few mistakes but in my opinion I was better than I thought I would be right now.”

Ferrer will next face Djokovic in the final on Saturday. The winner will receive $250,000 prize money.

Ferrer Defeats Rafael Nadal to Reach Paris Masters Final

Posted on November 3, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

He may be Spain’s No. 2 player, but David Ferrer played like the country’s No. 1 to defeat his compatriot…

The 31-year-old Spanish tenista upset world No. 1 Rafael Nadal on Saturday to reach the Paris Masters.

Defending champion Ferrer, who won his only Masters title here last year, dominated his fellow Spaniard 6-3, 7-5 to set up the championship decider on Sunday against Novak Djokovic, who came back to win 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 against the 2011 Paris champion Roger Federer.

Nadal was bidding to become the first player since Andre Agassi in 1999 to win both the French Open and Paris Masters in the same season but again came up short at a tournament where he last played in 2009.

Nadal hit an uncharacteristic 25 unforced errors and converted just one break point in seven attempts as Ferrer defeated his rival for only the fifth time in 21 meetings.

The world number four received plenty of support from the Paris crowd and carved out the decisive break to go 6-5 in the second set before serving out for the match.

“It was definitely the best match I’ve played all week and I was fighting for every ball but I’m really pleased because I played my best tennis,” said Ferrer.  ”Now, I’m going to try and recover and play a strong match tomorrow (Sunday) but I love it here and I have great memories,” added the man who defeated Poland’s Jerzy Janowicz in last year’s final.

Ferrer Reached Title Match at Stockholm Open

Posted on October 20, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

Spain’s Stockholm Open slump is officially over, thanks to David Ferrer.

The 31-year-old Spanish tennis star defeated fifth-seeded Ernests Gulbis of Latvia 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 on Saturday to reach the Stockholm Open final.

With the win, Ferrer becomes the first Spaniard in 37 years to reach the tournament’s title match.

He will face seventh-seeded Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria, who defeated wild card Benoit Paire of France 4-6, 6-2, 6-2, in Sunday’s title match.

Ferrer, the tournament’s top seed, will be going for his third title of the year and his first since February.

Ferrer: The Highest-Ranking Latino Tennis Player in the World

Posted on July 10, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

Move over Rafael Nadal… David Ferrer is still the highest-ranking Latino tennis player in the world…

The 31-year-old Spanish tennis star has climbed to the No. 3 spot in the ATP rankings for the first time in his career.

Ferrer had never before managed to crack the Top 3 since beginning his pro career in 2000.

He followed up his first Grand Slam final appearance at the French Open by reaching the quarterfinals at Wimbledon, where he lost to Argentina’s Juan Martin del Potro.

Meanwhile, Switzerland’s Roger Federer fell to the No. 5 spot, his lowest ranking in 10 years.

Federer, for his part, dropped in the rankings after being stunned in the second round at Wimbledon by unheralded Ukrainian Sergiy Stakhovsky 6-7 (5-7), 7-6 (7-5), 7-5, 7-6 (7-5).

The Swiss great, winner of a record 17 Grand Slam men’s singles titles and seven championships at the All England Club, was the defending champion at Wimbledon.

Serbia’s Novak Djokovic retained the No. 1 spot, while Scotland’s Andy Murray stayed at No. 2.

Spain’s Rafael Nadal, who also made an early exit from Wimbledon this year, is in the No. 4 slot.

Belgium’s Steve Darcis knocked off Nadal 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (8-6), 6-4 at Wimbledon, marking the first time the Spaniard has lost in the first round of a Grand Slam event.

Ferrer Survives Tough Match to Reach Fourth Round at Wimbledon

Posted on June 30, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

It wasn’t easy, but David Ferrer has advanced to the fourth round at Wimbledon…

The 31-year-old Spanish tennis player, who lost to Rafael Nadal at the French Open in his first Grand Slam final, rallied back to beat the Ukraine’s Alexandr Dolgopolov 6-7 (6), 7-6 (2), 2-6, 6-1, 6-2 in an intense third round match on Saturday at the All England Club.

In a back-and-forth match on Court 1, Ferrer needed treatment for blisters on his foot but still managed to outlast the 26th-seeded Dolgopolov and reach the last 16 for the fourth year in a row.

Ferrer, who reached the quarterfinals last year, will next face Croatia’s Ivan Dodig.

Ferrer Moves Past Rafael Nadal in the ATP Rankings

Posted on June 10, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

David Ferrer may have lost to Rafael Nadal in Sunday’s French Open final… But he’s one step ahead of his compatriot on the ATP rankings.

Despite his lopsided loss to Nadal, the 31-year-old Spanish tennis player has moved past Nadal in the rankings to the No. 4 spot.

Ferrer moved ahead of Nadal because of the “defense of points.” Nadal gained no points by “simply” repeating as champion, defending his 2,000 points, while Ferrer, a semifinalist in 2012, gained 480 by reaching the final this year, enough to surpass the eight-time French Open champion in the rankings and reclaiming the No. 4 spot.

Ferrer is now within striking distance of No. 3 Roger Federer – trailing him by just 420 points. Since Federer won Wimbledon last summer, the odds are decent that Ferrer could move to No. 3 for the first time in his career.

Nadal Makes History After Winning His Eighth French Open Title

Posted on June 9, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

Rafael Nadal has etched his name into the annals of tennis history…

The 27-year-old Spanish tennis star beat David Ferrer in the French Open final Sunday 6-3, 6-2, 6-3 to become the first man to win eight titles at the same Grand Slam tournament.

Nadal, proclaimed The King of Clay, also broke the men’s record for match wins at Roland Garros, where he improved to 59-1, with his lone defeat against Robin Soderling in the fourth round in 2009.

For fans enthralled by Nadal’s semifinal victory over top-ranked Novak Djokovic, the final may have seemed anticlimactic. But not for Nadal.

His path to the French Open title was more arduous than usual. He fell behind in each of his first three matches and needed a fifth-set comeback to beat Djokovic.

And the latest title was especially sweet for Nadal because of his comeback after a seven-month layoff caused by knee trouble.

”This one is very special one,” Nadal said. ”When you have period of time like I had, you realize that you don’t know if you will have the chance to be back here with this trophy another time.”

Since returning in February, he’s 43-2 with seven titles in nine tournaments, and he has won his past 22 matches. With his 12th Grand Slam tournament championship, Nadal moved into a tie for third place with Roy Emerson behind Roger Federer‘s 17 and Pete Sampras‘ 14.

Nadal came into the final with a 16-match winning streak on clay against Ferrer, who was a big underdog playing in his first major final at age 31. Ferrer had a few chances to make Nadal uneasy but converted only three of 12 break points and double-faulted five times.

Ferrer Reaches His First Grand Slam Final

Posted on June 7, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

It’s a career first for David Ferrer…

The 31-year-old Spanish tennis player defeated France’s Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-1, 7-6 (7-3), 6-3 in the semifinals at the French Open to reach his first Grand Slam final.

Ferrer showed great focus from the get-go to completely silence the crowd of roughly 15,000 at Court Philippe Chatrier, winning the first five games of the match by hitting aggressive forehand and backhand shots and chasing down every ball.

He even out-served Tsonga in the first set, hitting two aces and winning 67 percent of his first-serve points, compared to one ace and a 50 percent winning percentage for his French opponent.

Tsonga briefly got some momentum in the second set by breaking Ferrer en route to a 3-0 lead, but the Spaniard managed to get back on serve and then force a pivotal tiebreaker, which he dominated from start to finish.

Tsonga seemed deflated in the third set, losing his serve two more times as his bid to become the French man to win Roland Garros since 1983 ended on a disappointing note.

“I’m very, very happy,” Ferrer, the world No. 5, said after the match. “This tournament is very special for me and to be the first final of a Grand Slam in Roland Garros is amazing.”

“Now I want to enjoy this moment, to rest tomorrow, and to try my best in the final.”

Next up in the championship match will be fellow Spaniard Rafael Nadal, who advanced to his eighth French Open final earlier Friday with an epic 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 6-7 (3-7), 9-7 victory over Novak Djokovic.

Nadal owns a 19-4 lead in their head-to-head matchup,a s well as a more lopsided advantage over Ferrer on clay, having won 16 of their 17 contests on that surface.

Sunday’s match will be the fourth all-Spanish men’s singles final at Roland Garros and the first since Albert Costa upset Juan Carlos Ferrero in 2002.

Ferrer Reaches Portugal Open Final; Carreno-Busta’s Cinderella Run Ends

Posted on May 5, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

David Ferrer is one step closer to earning his next title…

The 31-year-old Spanish tennis player beat Italy’s Andreas Seppi 6-1, 6-4 in 70 minutes to reach the finals of the Portugal Open.

Ferrer, who will be playing in his 37th final, will face off against Stanislas Wawrinka for the clay title after the Swiss player ended the run of Spanish qualifier Pablo Carreno-Busta 6-3, 3-6, 6-1.

Ferrer was the picture of efficiency in the defeat of his Italian opponent, with the Spaniard now in the hunt for his 21st career trophy.

“It’s good to get to the final here, I’ve always dreamed of winning this title, there is so much history at this tournament,” said Ferrer, who leads the ATP this season with match wins on 28 with Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal trailing behind with 26.

Ferrer, currently ranked No. 4 in the world, holds a 5-0 match record over Seppi, who didn’t hold his serve until the second set. He’s won two titles already this season, in New Zealand and Argentina.

Meanwhile Wawrinka ended the Cinderella run of Carreno-Busta, the 21-year-old Spaniard player currently ranked No. 228.

Carreno-Busta has had a solid run on the lower-level Futures and Challenger circuits and has won 50 matches already this season. He was playing his first semi-final at the ATP level at his fourth tour-level event.

Ferrer Earns His Place in the Sony Open Men’s Final

Posted on March 29, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

David Ferrer has earned his ticket to the Sony Open men’s final after a come-from-behind victory…

The 30-year-old Spanish tenista rallied from a set down to beat Tommy Haas 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 on Friday afternoon and book his spot in the final of the Miami tournament.

Ferrer wasn’t at his highest level throughout the semifinal contest, but he did manage to take advantage of the German’s inconsistency to claim victory in just over two hours, earning his first-ever berth in the championship match of the elite hard-court event.

In the first set, Haas showed the form that propelled him to a stunning upset of world No. 1 Novak Djokovic earlier in the week, breaking Ferrer’s serve in the fifth game and again in the seventh.

Ferrer improved in the second set, however, and also benefited from a lack of patience on the part of his 34-year-old opponent, whose error count rose quickly.

The final set began with three consecutive service breaks before Haas finally held for a 3-1 lead.

The German would not win another game, however, as Ferrer, the No. 5 player in the world proved more solid in the players’ punishing baseline rallies.

Next up for Ferrer in Sunday’s final will be the winner of Friday’s night match between France’s Richard Gasquet and Britain’s Andy Murray.

Ferrer holds an 8-1 career head-to-head advantage over the Frenchman but has not fared as well against Murray, losing six of their 11 encounters and five of six on hard courts.

Hispanically Yours

Celebrating the Latino Influence

Tag Archives: David Ferrer