TENNIS in DEPTH.

David Ferrer avenged his loss to Juan Carlos Ferrero in the final at Buenos Aires last week to claim the title at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel tournament in Acapulco.

Third seed Ferrer won 6-3 3-6 6-1 in one hour and 47 minutes to lift his first title since his home-town success at Valencia in 2008.

It also meant Ferrero was denied a hat-trick of ATP Tour titles after his impressive form during the Latin American clay-court swing had seen the former world number one win in Costa do Sauipe and Buenos Aires.

Bookmark It

Juan Carlos Ferrero will be Spain’s top player next week when the two-time defending Davis Cup champs host Switzerland in an opening-round tussle.

Spanish team captain Albert Costa will have the red-hot Ferrero, David Ferrer, Tommy Robredo and Marcel Granollers at his disposal for the best-of-five-tie against the underdog Swiss, who will play without their top gun, the great Roger Federer, on the red clay at Plaza de Toros de la Ribera in Logrono.

The former world No. 1 Ferrero has won his last two tournaments, both on clay.

In addition to the world No. 3 Nadal, who is nursing a knee injury, Spain will also have to do without 10th-ranked Fernando Verdasco, who is out with a nerve problem in his leg.

Switzerland will be captained by Severin Luthi, who will head to Logrono with a squad of Stanislas Wawrinka, Marco Chiudinelli, Michael Lammer and Yves Allegro.

The Spaniards are 4-1 all-time against the Swiss in a series that dates back to 1946.

Spain, which beat the Czech Republic in last year’s final, won four Davis Cup titles in the 2000s, including two straight to close out the decade. The Spaniards are unbeaten in 18 home ties stretching back to 1999 when Brazil was the visitor.

The Spain-Switzerland winner will face the France-Germany victor in the quarterfinals.

Bookmark It

Second seed Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain claimed his second ATP Tour title in as many weeks on Sunday by beating top-seeded compatriot David Ferrer in the final of the ATP Copa Telmex in Buenos Aires.

Ferrero, who also triumphed at the Brasil Open last weekend, battled from a set down to overcome Ferrer 5-7 6-4 6-3 in a match which lasted more than two and a half hours.

The 30-year-old’s victory made him the third Spaniard to claim the Copa Telmex crown since the tournament started in 2001, following Carlos Moya (2003 and 2006) and Tommy Robredo (2009).

Ferrero was thrilled to have clinched his 14th ATP title so soon after the 13th.

“I feel unbelievable after winning two weeks in a row,” he said. “It is a great feeling.

“I think the key to my current success is the physical work I have done. I have been working very hard and I know that I can be on the court forever. That helps my game a lot because I get to the ball much early and can be more aggressive.

“This also helps me mentally. I feel very strong and know that I have more resources now when playing important points.”

Bookmark It

The official presentation of the Ágora building, the architectural jewel in the Valencia city crown and the venue for the Valencia 500 Open from October 31st till November 8th, took place this evening.

Valencia is getting ready to host one of the most important tennis tournaments in the world and as a taster today, the Ágora building was officially presented. The act was attended by a host of personalities who took the opportunity to see the magnificent building close up. The President of the Generalitat of Valencia Francisco Camps and the Mayoress of Valencia, Rita Barberá, officially opened the complex.

The first speeches were made by the Valencia players and owners of the tournament David Ferrer and Juan Carlos Ferrero. Ferrer expressed his excitement at being a part of the tournament and explained how the new building had thrilled the players who are coming to the Tournament: “over the last few months every player who’s coming has been asking me about the building – when they come here they’ll be really impressed I’m sure”. Ferrer also stressed the quality of the players who’ll be at the Tournament: “the best players in the world are going to be at the Ágora and I’m sure the people who come to watch them are going to enjoy themselves so much”. For his part, Ferrero expressed his hopes that the Valencia Open 500 “will become one of the most important tournaments in the world”. Following the players’ remarks, the Valencia Mayoress Rita Barberá defined the Ágora as “a monument to the 21st century”, and expressed herself: “happy and impressed” by her first impression of the building. Finally, President Camps recalled: “in the past when I saw the best tennis players in the world playing in my country, I wondered if they would ever come to Valencia and now that dream has come true”.

With the completion of the Ágora, the last piece is in place for the Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias. The building, designed by the Valencia architect Santiago Calatrava, is a metal structure in the form of an ellipse, measuring 88 metres long and 66 wide has a diaphanous space of 5,000 square metres and a capacity for 5.500 spectators.

Bookmark It

Spain captain Albert Costa has called up Juan Carlos Ferrero to replace Rafael Nadal in his Davis Cup team for the upcoming semi-finals against Israel.

Nadal, who missed last year’s Davis Cup final when Spain beat Argentina due to a knee injury, has withdrawn from the team due to the abdominal problems he has been suffering from at the US Open.

Following talks with Costa and the Spanish tennis federation (RFET), Nadal has decided to take a short break from playing after the US Open in order to aid his recovery.

“Rafa was sad to have to take this decision as he was really looking forward to the tie and, as always, was eager to defend the Spanish colours. I understand his decision and I hope that he recovers as soon as possible,” said Costa.

“In the case of Juan Carlos Ferrero, he will travel with the team on Sunday, which is when we will meet up in Murcia, and I want to thank him for his commitment to the team.

“Even in difficult moments, such as last Tuesday when I announced that he was not one of the four selections, Ferrero was for us a very important player.”

The 29-year-old Ferrero, a former world number one in the singles rankings, made his Davis Cup debut for Spain in 2000 and has played 15 ties for his country in total, helping them win the competition in 2000 and 2004.

Spain play Israel from September 18-20 in Murcia, with the other semi-final pitting Croatia against the Czech Republic

Bookmark It

Juan Carlos Ferrero advanced to the third round of the Legg Mason Tennis Championship with a 6-3, 6-2 win against seventh-seeded Tommy Robredo Wednesday.

No. 9 seed Mardy Fish was upset by Germany’s Philipp Petzschner 1-6, 6-4, 6-1. It was the first match for Fish since he withdrew from the L.A. Tennis Open before the quarterfinal Friday due to an abdominal strain he suffered in the Davis Cup.

  “It’s obviously frustrating to be injured,” Fish said. “I thought in practice I could do pretty much everything, and it’s just not the case.”

Fish said the injury bothers him during his serve—he had nine double faults—and when he stretches for a shot. He wasn’t sure how long the injury would affect him or if he would have to miss any tournaments.

“I’ll get home, get healthy and get back as soon as I can,” Fish said.

Ferrero, a former world No. 1, finished off his fellow Spaniard with two consecutive aces.

“I was a little bit surprised,” Ferrero said. “I expected at the beginning a little bit tougher match, but I was hitting the ball very well today.”

Bookmark It