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  • Wimbledon Fourth Round: Fernando Verdasco vs. Mario Ancic

    6/29/08 4:42 PM | Ricky Dimon
    - Reaching the Wimbledon quarterfinals would be a huge step for either Fernando Verdasco or Mario Ancic. That is exactly what's at stake when they square off on Monday for the second time in three weeks.

    By upsetting No. 5 seed David Ferrer in the Wimbledon third round, Mario Ancic exacted revenge for a loss at the Ordina Open just one week prior. When Ancic takes on Fernando Verdasco, however, it will be the 6'5'' Croat looking to fend off the revenge factor. In their only previous head-to-head meeting, Ancic defeated Verdasco 7-6(6), 6-4 at Queen's Club less than three weeks ago.

    Verdasco's confidence on grass has soared since then. At his ensuing event in Nottingham, the Spaniard made it all the way to the final where he lost to 6'10'' Croat Ivo Karlovic 10-8 in a third-set tiebreaker. En route Verdasco knocked out Bobby Reynolds, Gilles Simon, and Marin Cilic. All three of those men won matches at Wimbledon and Cilic is still alive in round four. Perhaps no player was more impressive than Verdasco during the first week of play at the All-England Club. The No. 22 seed destroyed Halle finalist Philipp Kohlschreiber in his opener, got past Oliver Rochus in four by winning the finals two sets 6-1, 6-1, and then crushed 11th-seed Tomas Berdych with a 6-0 third set.

    Ancic will not be so easy; he never has been at Wimbledon. In five trips to the All-England club, Ancic has lost in the first round just once (to Rafael Nadal in 2003) and he is a former quarterfinalist (2006) and semifinalist (2004). This year the oft-injured Ancic is healthier than ever and it is paying off in a major way. Since returning more than a month into the season, Ancic has enjoyed solid results. He finished runner-up in Marseille, reached the semifinals in Zagreb, enjoyed strong showings in both Indian Wells and Miami, and had a winning record during the clay-court swing. In week one Ancic took out Michael Llodra in straight sets, outlasted Philipp Petzschner in five, and then survived a four-set thriller with Ferrer in perhaps the best match of the tournament.

    Ancic-Ferrer, however, could even be outdone by Ancic-Verdasco. Not only are both men in rare form, but the clash should also be extremely entertaining due to the contrast in styles. Verdasco has the power game with which to get into the net, but nonetheless he prefers to slug it out from the back of the court. Ancic, meanwhile, imposes his will in the forecourt and is not afraid to come in behind his huge serves. Verdasco has to put in a lot of first deliveries to prevent his opponent from chip-and-charging off second balls. Ancic must stick to his aggressive game-plan and attack Verdasco's backhand on his way to the net. Count on seeing five high-quality sets in this one, but look for Ancic to pull through mostly due to his invaluable Wimbledon experience.

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