Fernando Verdasco

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Fernando Verdasco : biography

15 November 1983 –

At the Monte Carlo Masters in Monaco, Fernando lost to Gaël Monfils in straight sets in the first round. In Barcelona the following week he also lost his first round match in straight sets to Nicolás Lapentti. His form improved dramatically for the Rome Masters where he reached the third round, en route he got the better of Carlos Moyà and Nicolás Lapentti (who had beaten him the week earlier) before losing in a thriller to James Blake. Fernando continued his run of excellent form into the Hamburg Masters where he beat Mikhail Youzhny in the first round. In the second round he beat Michaël Llodra. Verdasco then went on to record a remarkable win against compatriot David Ferrer in straight sets. His run ended when he met the world number 1 Roger Federer, losing. At the French Open Verdasco was seeded No. 22 and enjoyed a good run, ending with a loss to Rafael Nadal in the last 16.

On 9 June, Fernando achieved his career high ranking of No. 20, as a result of his run at the French Open. He reached the final of the Nottingham Open raising his ranking to a career high of No. 18. At Wimbledon, he lost to Mario Ančić in a five set thriller in which the last set lasted over 90 minutes and ended 13–11, in the fourth round. His performance at The Wimbledon Championships brought his world ranking up to No. 13. His most recent ATP victory was in Umag (Studena Croatian Open Umag), Croatia where he defeated Igor Andreev. Afterwards, he again improved in the rankings to 11th place. Verdasco was the 13th seed at the US Open in 2008, and lost to the 23rd seed Andreev in the third round.

On 23 November, Verdasco won the fourth rubber of Spain’s Davis Cup final match against Argentina, defeating José Acasuso. This was enough to ensure the team of victory; Verdasco had also played in the doubles match of the previous day and won, partnering Feliciano López.

2009

Verdasco started his season by reaching the final of the Brisbane International losing to Radek Štěpánek in three sets. Partnering Mischa Zverev, he was also the runner-up in the doubles final. At the 2009 Australian Open, in his first appearance in a Grand Slam quarterfinal, Verdasco defeated Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Verdasco then lost to World No. 1 Rafael Nadal in what was at the time the longest match in Australian Open history, lasting 5 hours, 14 minutes. Verdasco’s semi-final run earned him No. 9 ranking, lifting the Spaniard into the top 10 for the first time.

After being sidelined by injury since the Australian Open, he reached the quarterfinals at Indian Wells, where he lost to Roger Federer. At the 2009 Miami Masters, Verdasco recorded his 200th ATP match win by defeating qualifier Benjamin Becker in the second round. He would go on to reach the quarterfinals, losing to Andy Murray. His run at this tournament earned him a further career-high ranking of No. 8.

During the clay court season, Verdasco again reached quarterfinal stage, where he lost to Novak Djokovic. Following this tournament, his ranking rose further to No. 7. In Barcelona, he lost in the quarter-finals to Fernando González. At the 2009 Rome Masters, he advanced to the quarterfinals, where he lost to Rafael Nadal. At the 2009 Madrid Masters, Verdasco reached the quarterfinals, Verdasco again lost to Nadal for the ninth time. Competing as the 8th seed at the 2009 French Open, Verdasco lost in the fourth round to 10th seed Nikolay Davydenko.

On his first tournament on grass that season, Verdasco lost in the first round of the 2009 Gerry Weber Open to Philipp Petzschner. At the 2009 Ordina Open, he lost in the second round to eventual title winner Benjamin Becker. At the third Grand Slam of the year, Wimbledon, he matched his best result at that tournament by reaching the fourth round, where he was ousted by the big-serving Croat, Ivo Karlović.

Verdasco competed in the Swedish Open as the top seed, advancing to the quarterfinals where he retired against Juan Mónaco. After a small break he played in the Rogers Cup and was defeated by Andy Roddick in the third round. He was then upset by compatriot Guillermo García-López in the first round of the Cincinnati Masters in two tiebreaks. In New Haven, Verdasco defeated Igor Andreev in two tiebreak sets in the semi-finals. Due to rain delays in the previous days, Verdasco returned later the same day for the final against Sam Querrey, winning in straight sets. He did not lose a set in the entire tournament. He was seeded 10th at the US Open, the year’s final Grand Slam, losing in the quarterfinals to Novak Djokovic.