By Tennis Now | Tuesday, July 18, 2017
Two-time champion David Ferrero and two-time finalist Fernando Verdasco each showed plenty of grit grinding into the Bastad second round.
Photo credit: Skistar Swedish Open
David Ferrer was a fighter to the finish in Bastad.
Serving for the match, Ferrer denied three break points defeating qualifier Federico Delbonis, 6-3, 6-4, in the opening round of the Skistar Swedish Open.
Federer's Message: Get Aggressive!
Two-time tournament champion raised his Bastad record to 22-7 defeating Delbonis for the third time in as many meetings.
The eighth-seeded Spaniard advanced to a second-round meeting with Dustin Brown.
Brown turned Bastad’s red clay into a stage for his finesse carving out a 6-4, 6-3, decision over Thomaz Bellucci.
Fernando Verdasco battled past Swedish wild card Elias Ymer, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, into the second round.
Two-time finalist Verdasco saved four of five break points, including a couple when he served for the match, grinding through a challenging one hour, 59-minute victory.
The 21-year-old Ymer saved a match point holding for 4-5 in the final set then earned double break point when Verdasco served for the match.
An intense heavy topspin rally saw Verdasco clean the baseline with a forehand before Ymer narrowly missed the mark erasing the first break point. Following an aggressive forehand down the line to net, Verdasco warded off the second break point.
The 39th-ranked Spaniard will play Argentine Facundo Bagnis, who beat 39-year-old wild card Tommy Haas, 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-2.
No. 7-seeded Diego Schwartzman stopped German qualifier Maximilian Marterer, 6-1, 6-3, in 61 minutes. Next up for Schwartzman is a second-round clash with compatriot Renzo Olivo, a 6-2, 6-4 victor over Paul-Henri Mathieu.
Schwartzman won his lone prior meeting with Olivo in three sets in Rio earlier this year.