Article

  • ABN AMRO Preview: Gabashvili vs. Ferrero

    2/18/08 12:04 PM | Ricky Dimon
    - ABN AMRO in Rotterdam starts today and one interesting match up is Teimuraz Gabashvili vs. seventh-seeded Juan Carlos Ferrero.

    Gabashvili and Ferrero have never met head-to-head prior this week. That’s not especially surprising consider their careers are not at all similar in any way. Gabashvili, a 22-year-old Russian, turned pro in 2001 and he has won just 19 ATP matches compared with 48 losses. Ferrero is a Grand Slam champion (2003 French Open) and runner-up (2003 U.S. Open). The Spaniard is also a former No. 1 player in the world.

    Gabashvili got as high as 71st in the world back in March of last year, but he is down to No. 132 at the moment. He has played in one ATP level tournament so far this season in Chennai, India. Carlos Moya erased him 6-4, 6-1 there. Gabashvili has since toiled on the Challenger circuit, where he has not progressed past the second round in three events. The Russian, however, does not lack potential. He enjoyed a nice run on the U.S. hard courts last spring and he posted his biggest win ever at the 2007 U.S. Open by defeating Fernando Gonzalez in five sets in the first round.

    Ferrero fell into relatively mediocrity after his incredible 2003 campaign, but recently he has shown signs of Top 10-caliber tennis. He kicked off this season by reaching the final in Auckland, New Zealand and he followed that up with a fourth-round showing at the Australian Open. His run Down Under was highlighted by a 6-1, 6-2, 6-3 blowout of David Nalbandian in the third round. Ferrero suffered a bit of a setback last week in Marseille, where he lost to Frenchman Nicolas Mahut in the second round, but that had to be decided by a third-set tiebreaker.

Tell a friend »

Comments


Write comment

You have to be logged in to comment. If you do not have an account, click here to register. It only takes a minute and you'll be redirected back to this page.
Username:

Password:





Click Here