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4/24/10 10:20 PM | Ricky Dimon
Robin Soderling and Fernando Verdasco will do battle in the Barcelona final on Sunday. Both players are seeking their first title at the event.
When Rafael Nadal pulled out last weekend, a new-look Barcelona final was assured. That's exactly what we have now, as Fernando Verdasco had never been further than the quarterfinals and Robin Soderling had never made it out of the second round.
Verdasco and Soderling will be meeting four the sixth time in their careers when they battle for the Barcelona Open BancSabadell title on Sunday. Soderling leads the head-to-head series 4-1, including 2-0 on clay. Their 2005 French Open first-round encounter went to five sets and a showdown two years later in Bastad ended in a third-set tiebreaker.
With both men playing impressive tennis (and right next to each other in the world rankings), this clay-court clash could be similarly competitive. Verdasco is in his second final in as many weeks, having finished runner-up to Nadal at the Monte-Carlo Masters. So far in Barcelona, the ninth-ranked Spaniard has taken out Richard Gasquet, Jurgen Melzer, Ernests Gulbis, and David Ferrer.
Soderling skipped Monte-Carlo, so he is making his first appearance on the dirt this season. Just as he was on hard courts (title in Rotterdam, semifinals at both Masters events in Indian Wells and Miami), Soderling is already in outstanding form on the slow stuff. The eighth-ranked Swede dismissed Juan Ignacio Chela, Feliciano Lopez, Eduardo Schwank, and Thiemo De Bakker without losing a set on his way to the Barcelona final.
"It’s going to be a very difficult final," said Verdasco. "Soderling is a player who hits extremely hard, you have to move him around and try to tire him out so that his shots are not as precise."
Speaking of fatigue, Verdasco has played a lot of tough matches over the past two weeks and has to be feeling the effects. Soderling, on the other had, should be in perfect shape.
Verdasco has a chance in this one, especially if he can dig deep and find the gear that he reached in the third set against Ferrer on Saturday. Nonetheless, Soderling in two tight sets is the pick.
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Fernando Verdasco all the way on this one.. I'm not a Soderling fan. but, I think Nando actually has a fairly great at winning(:
areyoudjokovicingme , 4/24/10 11:37 PM
I like the idea of the Sod winning this one. I feel he will become a greater challenger (to the top 5), and with this (little more money), it should give him a good incentive to battle on. Onward Sod! Go get him man. :)
sky , 4/25/10 12:19 AM
obviously I mean by that in the future as a potential greater challenger at least more so than Verdasco has been (in my opinion) :)... I don't necessarily see the Sod as a top 5 player necessarily but an occasional obsetter for those of us who has one of the top 5 as a fav, I just want good fun tennis to watch, and the Sods' Robotic moves is funny (fun) to watch as strangely as this may sound to some of you. :)
sky , 4/25/10 2:10 AM
Soderling is great player material when Verdasco is a shadow man
Go Sod get it man
tennislover , 4/25/10 11:32 AM
vamos verdasco!!!!!!!!
vrael , 4/25/10 1:11 PM
Come on Nando!! You got one set in the bag!! Send Sod packing!!
fan4tennis , 4/25/10 5:17 PM
How is he doing? I saw on LiveScore that Soderling took the second set.
I'm afraid to look. Is Fer tired?
mara002 , 4/25/10 5:49 PM
I'm watching livescores too mara so don't know. Not caring either...just glad that it looks like Nando will beat Sod and hoist the trophy!
fan4tennis , 4/25/10 6:13 PM
woohooo!!!! the player material lost to the better man and better player!!! i knew the more talented would win!!
homos , 4/25/10 6:22 PM
yahooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!! I know you can Nando!! I know you can!!! sooooooooo damn happy for you.. great win against Soderling.. Te quiero Nando!! Good Job!!
GoldenRose , 4/25/10 6:31 PM
Congratulations Fernando !! Great clay work ... two finals in a row and now a fifth (i think) title. Vamos!
smr , 4/25/10 7:02 PM
@tennislover
take that for calling a spaniard a shadow man!!
and that too on clay!!!!
clayking , 4/25/10 7:21 PM
What a turnaround for Fernando Verdasco! Just like Thiemo de Bakker, he seems to have learned a thing or two from his Rafa master-class last week - both players overcoming their drubbings (winning only one game apiece against My Guy) to come back this week and make a big noise.
Now: Roma.
VAMOS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
gorafago , 4/25/10 7:26 PM
@Homos
I couldn?t agree with you more.
Verdasco when on his game is definitely the more talented player I believe. I counted on Verdasco to win this match and he didn?t disappoint (granted I thought he could do it in straights). He had to win as he couldn?t reach a second final in 2 weeks and loose again and also because he wanted to keep the silverware in a Spaniards hand :)
TopDog , 4/25/10 7:40 PM
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if its fine conditions tomorrow söderling will win... if not...he should still prevail.
croc , 4/24/10 11:33 PM