Match report

Fernando Verdasco © Tennistalk.com
Pilot Pen Tennis
Semi final
8/22/08 1 2 3 Tot
es  Fernando Verdasco 0 6 3 1
us  Mardy Fish 6 1 6 2
Mardy Fish © Tennistalk.com

  • Fish beats Verdasco to reach New Haven final

    8/22/08 10:21 PM | Ricky Dimon

    It wasn't pretty--at all--but Mardy Fish is through to the Pilot Pen final after taking out Fernando Verdasco in three sets. He will play either Marin Cilic or Luka Gregorc.

    In what has to be one of the worst--if not the very worst--ATP semifinals of the year, Mardy Fish defeated Fernando Verdasco 6-0, 1-6, 6-3 on Friday afternoon. After one hour and 28 minutes of painful tennis, the match came to a merciful end and Fish booked his spot in the New Haven title match.

    For a moment it looked like Fish would do the fans a favor and end things in well under one hour. The American took advantage of a wretched Verdasco serve to win the first set 6-0 in just 21 minutes. Verdasco, who consistently threw in fist serves under 90 miles per hour, ended the opening frame of play with his fourth double-fault.

    Fish then held for a 1-0 lead in the second and was up 0-30 in Verdasco's first service game of the set, seemingly poised to run away with a victory. Suddenly, however, Fish tightened up as if he did not know how to play against someone who appeared to be tanking. The Spaniard came back to hold serve and that revitalized him. Verdasco won the next five games of the set simply by keeping balls in play and hitting a few winners here and there as Fish imploded.

    In what became a battle of which player could be less awful than the other, the start of set three saw Verdasco's turn to collapse. The No. 1 seed promptly got broken and never could get back on serve. Fish held all the way until 5-3 when the match ended in appropriate fashion. After saving one match point at 15-40 when Fish sprayed a backhand wide, Verdasco donated his ninth and final double-fault.

    That sent the No. 8 seed into his second ATP final of the season (Fish lost to Novak Djokovic in the Indian Wells title match back in March). Fish has never faced either of his two potential final opponents, Marin Cilic and Luka Gregorc.

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Comments

woww! was it really that bad???

sisterofnight12 , 8/22/08 11:19 PM


it was bad all right. Here is what some people are saying about it on the forums.

http://www.menstennisforums.com/showthread.php?t=130264

RickyDimon , 8/22/08 11:30 PM


oh god! then,i have to be blessed that i was outside because if i were at home,i would have watched this match.

sisterofnight12 , 8/23/08 1:47 AM



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