Rusedski Says Murray Needs to Check Temper; Nadal v Ferrero Today at Bastad

Posted on July 8, 2005

Nadal, Ferrero Line Up Meeting at ATP Bastad

Reigning French Open champ Rafael Nadal and former No. 1 and Roland Garros winner Juan Carlos Ferrero lined up a blockbuster quarterfinal meeting with wins Thursday at the claycourt ATP stop in Bastad.

The top-seeded Nadal dismissed countryman Al Martin in straight sets, while the No. 5-seeded Ferrero, currently at No. 31 on the ATP Rankings after a horrendous 2004 campaign, likewise straight-setted countryman Guillermo Garcia-Lopez. Ferrero is without a title in 2005, failing to make a dent even during his favorite claycourt lead-up to the French Open.

Nadal went up an early break in the second against Martin but immediately gave it back.

"In the first set I played well, not so good in the second," Nadal said. "That happens sometimes. I start well, then my level goes down after the first set."

For Nadal, who has won his last four claycourt tournaments, it was his 26th consecutive win on the red dirt.

Two un-seeds also gained the quarters in Spain's Oscar Hernandez (d. (7) Soderling from a set down) who advances to his first 2005 quarterfinal, and Czech Jiri Vanek (d. (Q) Serra in three).

Friday's quarterfinals on the dirt line up as (3) Robredo vs. (6) Youzhny, (1) Nadal vs. (5) Ferrero in an all-Spanish, Berdych vs. Zabaleta, and O.Hernandez vs. Vanek.

Americans Spadea, Goldstein Into Semis at ATP Newport

No. 2 seed Vince Spadea out-hustled slice-and-dice Serb qualifier Dusan Vemic Thursday at the ATP grasscourt stop at Newport, advancing into the semis with a 6-3, 6-4 win.

"It's an unorthodox type of play," said Spadea after surviving into the semifinals, his best career result at Newport. "He reminds me of (Fabrice) Santoro -- he slices, serves and volleys, he mixes it up. It's one of those times you have to accept that you'll feel like you're playing ugly, but you have to get through it to win."

In the other quarterfinal played Thursday, No. 7 seed Paul Goldstein advanced into his second career ATP semifinal with a third-set-tiebreak win over German Alexander Waske.

On tap for Friday are the remaining two quarterfinal matches in Moodie vs. Mertinak, and (3) Rusedski vs. Dupuis.

Stepanek Stumped by Countryman at ATP Gstaad

Four more unseeded players gained the quarterfinals Thursday at the ATP claycourt stop in Gstaad, led by Czech qualifier Frantisek Cermak who used his practice-court experience to oust countryman and No. 3 seed Radek Stepanek 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-4.

No. 7 Nicolas Massu (d. Hernych in three) was the only seed to advance on the day, joined by un-seeds Luis Horna of Peru (d. Di Mauro), Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka (d. Verdasco from a set down), and Italy's Potito Starace (d. F.Lopez, bagel in the second).

"I have had a very difficult year," said Massu, who advances to his first quarterfinal for 2005. "When you come back after an injury playing competitive players you feel some pain in your body. But the only way to come back is to play and in one or two months I hope to have all my power back. The first four, five weeks are the most difficult when you're coming back."

Friday's name-challenged quarterfinal line-up is Seppi vs. (2) Gaudio, (7) Massu vs. Horna, (Q) Sabau vs. Starace, and (Q) Cermak vs. Wawrinka.

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TENNIS-X NEWS, NOTES, QUOTES AND BARBS
The men's and women's champions will each receive $1.1 million at the US Open this year..."Grinning" Greg Rusedski says compatriot Andy Murray needs to check himself before he wrecks himself: "Andy shows he has a passion and a will to win but you have to learn to control it out there. (Bjorn) Borg had a temper when he was a kid, broke his rackets and his parents took his rackets away -- it was the same with (Roger) Federer. That showed a hunger and a desire and proved he had a big future. But this is the curve Andy has to go through. I was playing satellite events at 15 and was doing the same kind of thing -- everybody loses their temper at that age -- but it's about not doing that again, learning from that situation and getting better. Andy will grow up and learn to handle situations. He is still young and will be disappointed by this defeat. I'm sure he was looking forward to playing me in the quarterfinals (at Newport before losing) -- but he has only just got on to the ATP Tour, played eight matches and won five. There are not too many 18-year-olds who have done that." On Britain visiting Switzerland is September for Davis Cup qualifying play: "Andy's going to do well when we play against Switzerland. He'll be playing against the No. 1 player in the world -- it is going to be tough for him but he's going to be hungry. He doesn't go out there scared, he goes out there to win and believes he can win every time no matter who he is playing -- and that's what you need." Contrast that with Murray right before he played David Nalbandian at Wimbledon: "I'll lose my next match. If I play against Nalbandian, he's Top 10 in the world, he's been to a Wimbledon final. I've won two matches at Wimbledon, two matches at Queen's, and I'm only 18. I've got no experience playing in these matches. It's gonna be very difficult for me. I'm not expecting to win my next match..."X-Staff are currently working on a look into the ATP doubles scoring changes, and the even-bigger changes the ATP/ITF have in the works for doubles a few years down the road. We'd like to include comments from fans and the ever-articulate X-Discussion Board freaks, so feel free to start a thread discussing what you think of the scoring/doubles changes...Mashona Washington has been named to the singles rather than Jill Craybas for Saturday's Fed Cup semifinal clash between the U.S. and Russia...Tennis survived the ax, but baseball and softball have been cut from the Olympics starting in 2012, with the two American-invented sports the first events cut from the Olympics in 69 years...From the Delaware News Journal on World TeamTennis: "There was a debate Tuesday night over the salute offered by Boston Lobster Martina Navratilova and how many fingers were involved, whether a stealthy second finger had crept in to sanitize the expression without changing the meaning. Nope. One finger. The photo made that clear. Actually, News Journal photographer Bill Bretzger captured the entire sequence, the finger starting pressed against Martina's cheek, her arm then extending as the finger reached a regal climax. So ended a delightful exchange with Wilmington fan Lou Freeman, who had been heckling the tennis legend, encouraging her to double fault during the first Delaware Smash home match of the year. My guess is, you're not looking at the photo -- family paper and all. It'd look great on a World TeamTennis brochure, one of the fan-friendliest fingers you've ever seen flipped. The finger and the smirk behind it, that's WTT spirit, which still takes some getting used to each year, even though the league is in its 30th year and it's 10th in Delaware."