Nadal Named the Top Seed at the Australian Open

Posted on January 8, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

It comes as little surprise… But Rafael Nadal has been listed as the top seed at the Australian Open, which gets underway on Monday at Melbourne Park.

The 27-year-old Spanish tennis star, currently ranked No. 1 in the world, recently extended his points lead over Serbia’s Novak Djokovic after clinching the title at the Qatar Open.

Djokovic, the defending champion, is the No. 2-seeded man, followed by David Ferrer, Wimbledon champion Andy Murray, Juan Martin del Potro and 17-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer at sixth.

The other Latino seeds include Spain’s Nicolas Almagro at No. 13, Spain’s Tommy Robredo at No. 18, Spain’s Feliciano Lopez and No. 27 and Spain’s Fernando Verdasco at No. 32.

On the women’s side, Serena Williams has been made the top seeds at the Australian Open.

Defending champion Victoria Azarenka is No. 2, followed by Maria Sharapova, Li Na, Agnieszka Radwanska and former Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova in sixth.

The only Latina to earn at ranking at this year’s Australian Open is Spain’s Carla Suarez Navarro at No. 16.

The 32 seeds were only altered twice from the rankings, both because of injuries. No. 29-ranked Jurgen Melzer is not playing due to a left shoulder injury and Maria Kirilenko, who would have been seeded 18th, has a left knee injury.

Marrero & Verdasco Take Down the Bryan Brothers to Clinch ATP World Tour Finals Doubles Title

Posted on November 12, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

The first time’s the charm for David Marrero and Fernando Verdasco…

Following their unexpected win in the semifinals at their first-ever ATP World Tour Finals, the Spanish tenistas upset the top-seeded Bryan brothers to win the doubles title at the O2 Arena.

The sixth seeds had never even qualified for the year-end tournament before and had lost all three of their previous matches against the world No 1 partnership. But they triumphed in a stellar match 7-5 6-7 (3-7) 10-7.

They saved four set points in the first set, Verdasco recovering from 0-40 down at 4-5, and the left-hander, still one of the most dangerous customers on the singles circuit, was the key man in a gripping contest.

In the next game, Mike Bryan double faulted at 15/30 to gift two break point opportunities to Marrero and Verdasco. He saved the first with a fine backhand crosscourt winner, but Verdasco clinched the game when his stinging forehand was too much for Bob Bryan, who could only volley long.

And the Spaniards clinched the next game to win the first set.

Verdasco’s forehand, one of the most devastating and feared shots on the men’s tour, got the Spaniards out of trouble time and time again. But the American twins – who had won the title three times before – hit back to level it up by winning the second set on the tiebreak.

There was just one mini-break in the deciding Champions tiebreak and it was set up by another sensational Verdasco forehand down-the-line winner.

On match point Bob Bryan could only chip a Verdasco serve long and the sixth seeds could celebrate becoming the third all-Spanish pair to win the title after Juan Gisbert and Manuel Orantes in 1975 and last year’s champions Marcel Granollers and Marc Lopez.

The Bryans finished No 1 for a fifth straight year and a record ninth time overall. They have won 11 titles this season, including the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon.

Marrero & Verdasco Reach the Doubles Final at the ATP World Tour Finals

Posted on November 11, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

David Marrero and Fernando Verdasco have the chance to end the year with a bang…

The 33-year-old and 29-year-old Spanish tennis players beat Ivan Dodig and Marcelo Melo 7-6 (10), 7-5 to reach the doubles final at the ATP World Tour Finals.

It’s only their first time competing at the season-ending championships of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) World Tour, featuring the top eight singles players and doubles teams of the ATP rankings.

Dodig and Melo had won all three of their matches in the round robin stage of the tournament, while the sixth-seeded Spaniards lost one match in round robin play.

Marrero and Verdasco will next face three-time champions Bob and Mike Bryan, who advanced to the final after defeating No. 2 Alexander Peya and Bruno Soares 4-6, 6-4, 10-8.

Earlier this year, Marrero and Verdasco won the St. Petersburg Open, their first and only ATP World Tour team title of the season.

Delbonis Earns a Spot in the Semis at the German Tennis Championships

Posted on July 19, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

Federico Delbonis is preparing for one of the biggest matches of his professional career….

The 22-year-old Argentine tennis player, a qualifier at the German Tennis Championships in Hamburg, defeated Spain’s Fernando Verdasco 6-7 (5), 7-6 (8), 6-4 to earn a spot in the semifinals of a tournament for only the second time in his career.

Delbonis, currently ranked No. 114 in the world, will next play the tournament’s top seed Roger Federer, who is ranked No. 5 in the world.

But reaching the semi-finals wasn’t exactly a breeze…

Delbonis had to stave off a pair of match points in the second set. He failed to serve out the match at 5-3; and then wasted two match points on Verdasco’s serve before the Spaniard double-faulted on the third.

Delbonis had previously reached his first ATP World semifinal at Stuttgart in 2011, losing to Juan Carlos Ferrero 3-6, 6-4, 6-4.

Verdasco Upsets Nadal at the Madrid Open

Posted on May 10, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

Fernando Verdasco has scored a massive upset at the Madrid Open…

The 28-year-old tennis star—currently ranked No. 19 in the world—defeated his fellow countryman and the world’s No. 2 player Rafael Nadal, considered the King of Clay, 6-3, 3-6. 7-5.

After overcoming a first-set loss on the Open’s controversial blue-clay court, Nadal evened the score and appeared set to move on to the quarterfinals. But Verdasco took charge of the match to notch his first win over Nadal in 14 tries and handing his Davis Cup teammate his first defeat on clay in 23 matches.

“After losing so many times against honestly the best player on clay ever, to beat him on clay is the maximum,” an emotional Verdasco said after his exhausting match. “I don’t have words.”

Nadal—who notched his seventh consecutive title at the Barcelona Open last weekend—didn’t hide his dislike of the new blue clay at the Madrid Open this week, calling it soft and slippery.

Verdasco moves on to next play Tomas Berdych after the Czech beat Gael Monfils 6-1, 6-1.

Ferrer Wins Mexican Open Title…

Posted on March 4, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

David Ferrer has claimed his third tournament title of the year in 2012…

The 29-year-old professional Spanish tennis player—currently ranked No. 5 in the world on the ATP rankings list—easily defended his title at the Mexican Open on Saturday, beating fellow Spaniard Fernando Verdasco 6-1, 6-2 in the final.

Ferrer broke Verdasco twice in each set to take the match in just over an hour.

This marks Ferrer’s second title in as many weeks, following his victory last Sunday at the Copa Claro event in Buenos Aires. Ferrer won his first tournament of 2012 in Auckland, New Zealand at the Heineken Open.

With his performance at the Mexican Open, Ferrer has improved his 2012 record to 18-1—with his only loss coming to Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open.

Nadal’s Comeback Propels Spain to Davis Cup Title…

Posted on December 4, 2011 by Tom Castaneda

In an all-Latino Davis Cup final, Spain’s Rafael Nadal outlasted Argentina’s Juan Martin del Potro to give his country its fifth title…

The 25-year-old former World No. 1 recovered from a dreadful start to beat del Potro 1-6, 6-4, 6-1, 7-6 (0) on Sunday on a day Nadal called “one of the most emotional” of his career.

With del Potro firing a rash of forehand winners, Nadal suffered his most lopsided set defeat in the competition, with the Spaniard failing to hold his first four serves.

But Nadal starting finding his rhythm in the second set, just as Del Potro started misfiring.

Nadal managed to record one of his 35 winners to win the second set. He then cruised through the third set on course for the win.

Del Potro did stage a late comeback attempt by breaking Nadal four times in the fourth set to send it to a tiebreaker, where Nadal raced ahead without losing a single point before securing the victory with a beautiful forehand winner.

Spain’s players swarmed their teammate after he had dropped to the ground in celebration, while Del Potro exited the clay surface in tears for the second time in three days after losing Friday’s singles match to David Ferrer.

“After such a difficult year, this was a spectacular finale to the season,” said an emotional Nadal, a 10-time Grand Slam tournament champion who won the Davis Cup title for the third time in his career. “To win a final this way is very special.”

It’s Spain’s third title in four years. This year’s team consisted of Nadal, Ferrer, Feliciano Lopez and Fernando Verdasco.

Meanwhile, Nadal, who took gold in Beijing in 2008, says he won’t play in next year’s Davis Cup and will instead focus on defending his gold medal at the London Olympics.

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