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7/9/10 7:05 AM | Ricky Dimon
Fernando Verdasco and Michael Llodra will be featured in the second Spain vs. France singles rubber on Friday. One man will be looking to give his country a 2-0 lead in the Davis Cup quarterfinals.
Davis Cup is where it all started to turn around for Fernando Verdasco.
He won the clinching rubber for Spain in the 2008 final by going into a hostile Argentina environment and outlasting Jose Acasuso in five sets. Ever since that match, Verdasco has been a familiar face in the Top 10 of the ATP rankings.
The 26-year-old Spaniard also helped his country to a successful title defense last year, but a three-peat is far from assured with a trip to France for a quarterfinal showdown on the immediate horizon. It will begin in the form of a third career meeting between Verdasco and Michael Llodra. The head-to-head series is tied at one apiece, with Llodra winning on indoor carpet (2006 Paris Masters) and Verdasco getting revenge on clay (2008 Hamburg Masters).
As their past history suggests, Llodra will be glad to play this one on an indoor hard courts--especially with a French crowd in his corner. The 35th-ranked Frenchman has always excelled on faster surfaces, especially indoors. Llodra ran into Andy Roddick in the Wimbledon second round, but he also enjoyed a quarterfinal showing at Queen's Club and a title in Eastbourne.
Verdasco, on the other hand, did his serious 2010 damage on clay. The world No. 10, however, played a ton of tennis and he apparently has not been the same since the start of the French Open. He lost to Nicolas Almagro in the Roland Garros fourth round and then lost his Wimbledon opener to Fabio Fognini.
This would be a no-contest on clay, but Llodra has a good chance on Friday if he puts in a high percentage of first serves. Still, Verdasco has been a Davis Cup star in recent seasons and that will give him confidence. Look for the vistor to quiet the French fans after five entertaining sets.
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