Match report

Rafael Nadal © Tennistalk.com
Open Sabadell Atlántico 2008
Final
5/4/08 1 2 3 Tot
es  Rafael Nadal 6 4 6 2
es  David Ferrer 1 6 1 1
David Ferrer © Tennistalk.com

  • Nadal pushed harder but it's another title

    5/5/08 1:34 AM | David Cox
    High on tempo, high on adrenaline and high on champagne. Nadal and Ferrer set the tone for an entertaining climax to the Open Sabadell Atlantico by letting rip with the bubbly before the match, celebrating a 3rd all-Spanish final at this tournament in 4 years

    As predicted it was another crown for Nadal; 6-1, 4-6, 6-1 but Ferrer deserves a lot of credit for the way he approached the match and became the first man to take a set off Nadal on clay since Federer in last year’s French Open final ! It’s Nadal’s 25th ATP title. Without doubt he is the greatest clay-courter the game has seen

    The first set scoreline really does not do Ferrer justice, he really took the game to Nadal, relentlessly probing the corners with heavy forehands. Nadal just simply kept producing remarkable counter-punching to win points he had almost no right to ! It was exhilarating stuff at times as these two went toe to toe from the baseline, Nadal winning one such rally on set point with a crushing forehand into space having pushed Ferrer well out wide

    The standard just got higher in set 2, Ferrer starting to win the key points and establishing a 4-2 lead, painting the lines with his forehand. Nadal broke back for 4-4 but unlike in Monte Carlo, this time Ferrer didn’t panic when his lead was severed. Instead he took the top seed by surprise breaking straight back to lead 5-4 with a bold game, rushing the net several times and forcing the errors. He took the set with a forehand inch-perfect but it took tennis of that quality to wrest a mere set from Nadal, something even Federer couldn’t manage last week. It took going for those fine margins to level the match but you sensed Nadal knew there was no way Ferrer could sustain it for another set and so it proved, the effort had drained him.

    With Nadal’s energy levels as boundless as though he’d just stepped on court, once Ferrer lost a tight game to go 2-0 down in the 3rd, it was match over. Becoming rapidly bereft of ideas, 2-0 soon became 5-0. The 2nd seed managed a consolation game but a few points later it was Nadal leaping for joy as he claimed his 4th title here

    “I'm very happy with this win,” said Nadal. “Having won four times in Monte-Carlo and four times in Barcelona is something very special for me. It was a tough match, but I was mentally strong during the whole game and kept fighting. As David started playing better in the second set I tried to stay calm and focus on my game.”

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