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  • Bastad Tournament Preview

    7/7/08 7:18 AM | Ricky Dimon
    - The ATP heads back to the red clay as Wimbledon comes to an end, and a stop in Bastad, Sweden is on the menu. Spaniards Ferrer, Verdasco, Robredo, and Moya headline a strong field.

    You can't be blamed if you need at least a full week to recover from that epic Wimbledon final between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, but there's no rest for the weary when it comes to the ATP Tour. Just a few hours after the exhausting proceedings wrapped up at the All-England Club, four new tournaments get started on Monday.

    The Catella Swedish Open in Bastad is one of three events taking place on red clay this week. Supreme dirtballer David Ferrer leads a stellar pack of entrants as the No. 1 seed and he definitely comes in as the favorite to take the title. Ferrer reached the quarterfinals of the French Open and he also won a title and posted a runner-up finish--all on clay--this season.

    He will face stern tests throughout the tournament, however. Fernando Verdasco, who just made it to the fourth round of Wimbledon before falling to Mario Ancic in a five-set classic, is seeded second. Also receiving first-round byes are No. 3 seed Tommy Robredo and fourth-seeded Tomas Berdych.

    French Open semifinalist and former French Open champion Carlos Moya should also contend for the title. Moya, seeded fifth, faces dangerous clay-courter Potito Starace in round one. Starace is one of a handful of unseeded threats, including Houston champion Marcel Granollers and Wimbledon semifinalist Marat Safin.

    Ferrer should benefit from the fact that Verdasco, Berdych, Moya, Monfils, and Safin are all in the bottom half of the draw. Nonetheless, he could meet in-form Robin Soderling as early as the third round.

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