By Tennis Now | Saturday, July 21, 2017
In a rematch of the 2016 Skistar Swedish Open final, Verdasco dismantled defending champion Albert Ramos-Vinolas, 6-3, 6-2.
Photo credit: Skistar Swedish Open Facebook
A final casualty in Bastad last year, Fernando Verdasco issued the final word with authority today.
In a rematch of the 2016 Skistar Swedish Open final, Verdasco dismantled defending champion Albert Ramos-Vinolas, 6-3, 6-2.
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Controlling the center of the court, Verdasco crunched his forehand with ambition dictating play for much of the match. Verdasco converted three of 13 break points and denied the only break point he faced when serving for the match.
Frequently stepping inside the baseline, the sixth-seeded Spaniard hit heavier and deeper beating Ramos-Vinolas for the second time in three meetings in Bastad.
The 84-minute triumph sends Verdasco into his third semifinal of the season, including his first clay-court semifinal.
The 2013 and 2016 finalist will play for his third trip to the Bastad final when he faces either eighth-seeded compatriot David Ferrer or 100th-ranked Swiss Henri Laaksonen.
On a soggy afternoon with some fans huddled beneath umbrella, both men were going to the towel during a marathon 20-point second game.
The defending champion fended off five break points, catching a break when Verdasco missed a couple of drives with his favored forehand. Ramos-Vinolas worked through a challenging hold to level after two games.
Sliding an ace down the middle, Verdasco sealed a love hold for 3-2. He dropped just one point through his first three service games.
Staring down a sixth break point, Ramos-Vinolas stepped around his backhand and rifled a forehand winner down the line.
The second-seeded Spaniard saved a seventh break point, but Verdasco’s continuous pressure finally created the crack in the eighth game. Converting his eighth break point, Verdasco snatched a 5-3 lead.
Stepping inside the baseline, Verdasco slashed a forehand down the line collecting a one-set lead after 42 minutes.
Hitting through the heavy conditions with more precision, Verdasco banged out the break in the fifth game of the second set. Hammering a series of biting first serves, the world No. 39 seized a 4-2 lead.
The Ramos-Vinolas twisting lefty forehand is typically struck with substantial topspin, but he struggled for net clearance at times today. A netted forehand gave Verdasco his 13th break point of the day. When Ramos-Vinolas scattered a crosscourt forehand wide, Verdasco gained the break and a 5-2 advantage.
Alexandr Dolgopolov fought off two match points squeezing past Karen Khachanov, 7-6 (5), 3-6, 7-6 (2), in a two-hour thriller.
The fifth-seeded Khachanov saved two match points defeating Ernests Gulbis yesterday and won seven more points than his opponent today (105 to 98). But Dolgopolov withstood 20 aces from the powerful Russian and won the critical points in both tie breaks to prevail over Khachanov for the second time in as many meetings.
World No. 89 Dolgopolov is through to his first semifinal since he defeated Kei Nishikori to win his third career title in Buenos Aires last spring.
Dolgopolov will play Andrey Kuznetsov for a spot in Sunday’s final.
A decisive Kuznetsov dropped just seven points on his first serve sweeping seventh-seeded Diego Schwartzman, 6-3, 6-3, in 66 minutes.
The 88th-ranked Russian advanced to his third semifinal of the season, following final four appearances in Sydney and Geneva.