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  • Bastad Semifinal: David Ferrer vs. Tommy Robredo

    7/12/08 5:55 AM | Ricky Dimon
    - At least one Spaniard will be taking part in the Bastad title match because David Ferrer and Tommy Robredo are meeting in Saturday's semifinals. Will it be the No. 1 seed or the No. 3 seed advancing?

    David Ferrer and Tommy Robredo are familiar foes and they will square off for the third time in the last three months on Saturday in the semifinals of the Catella Swedish Open. Those most recent meetings both came on clay; Ferrer emerged victorious after three sets in Valencia and he triumphed again in Barcelona 7-6(4), 6-4. Overall Ferrer leads their head-to-head series 3-1.

    Although they are both 26 years old, Ferrer was much more of a late bloomer and he is definitely on the rise whereas Robredo seems to be on the decline. Robredo, ranked 17th in the world, no longer enjoys much success of any kind on anything other than clay, but he definitely remains a force to be reckoned with on the dirt. Already this season he has reached the quarterfinals in Valencia, Barcelona, and Rome, the final in Warsaw, and the third round in Rome after impressive victories over Stanislas Wawrinka and Robin Söderling. So far in Bastad he has taken out Jonas Bjorkman and Jarkko Nieminen, both in straight sets.

    Ferrer has endured more of a struggle this week. After dispatching Boris Pashanski 7-5, 6-1 in his opening match, Ferrer needed three sets and two hours and 42 minutes to get past Robin Söderling. Rarely has it been so tough for Ferrer in 2008. The No. 1 seed in Bastad is enjoying another outstanding season in which he has been great on every surface, but especially outstanding on clay. Since the start of April he has won titles in Valencia and 's-Hertogenbosch, reached the quarterfinals in Monte-Carlo and at the French Open, and finished runner-up in Barcelona.

    Past results and the recent head-to-head meetings suggest Ferrer should be able to take care of Robredo and reach the Bastad final. The question is will Ferrer be able to bounce back in top shape one day after spending close to three hours on the tennis court. Robredo better hope that's the case and he also needs to serve extremely well because Ferrer is one of the best returners in the game.

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