Monaco Disrupts Ferrer To Prevent Rematch Of 2010 Final

(November 5, 2011) In what could only be described as a surprise, Juan Monaco pulled the upset over a strangely inconsistent David Ferrer 7-5, 1-6, 6-3. Ferrer was looking to set up a rematch of last year’s final after Marcel Granollers took advantage of a weary Juan Martin Del Potro earlier in the day with a 6-4, 7-6 (4) victory.

Ferrer, known for his mental stability and consistent baseline game, showed chinks in the armor early on, converting only two of seven break chances while dropping serve three times in the first set. With Monaco in the lead, Ferrer buckled down in the second set, limiting Monaco to only two points on return and leveling the match with ease.

With the momentum clearly in Ferrer’s favor, Monaco called for the trainer to receive a massage on his lower back before the third set. It did not seem to help as the Argentine went down an early break and called the trainer again while trailing 1-2.

After having his lower back stretched out, Monaco took on the aggressiveness of a completely different player, determined to shorten points from his typical grinding style. Something in the game plan change and the injury timeouts obviously seemed to rattle Ferrer, who is normally one of the most mentally strong players around.

The Spaniard’s first serve dropped to only 30 percent in the final set and his five double faults handed the decisive break to Monaco. The win propels Monaco into his first final since Santiago of last year, while he last title came in 2007, the year he won all three of his career titles.

In order to capture his fourth career title, he will need to defeat last year’s finalist, Granollers, who used his solid baseline play and impressive net play to dispatch another Argentine, Del Potro. The No. 6 seed seemed to be just slightly off his game, hitting heavy-handed drop shots that Granollers easy put away.

Unlike many who play the towering Del Potro, Granollers refused to give ground and appeared to be determined to sneak into net when he had the opportunity. Del Potro seemed to be lumbering a bit in the second, considered retiring before forcing the tiebreak.

In the end, the Spaniard was just that fraction better, allowing him to move into his second straight Valencia final. He will try to win his third career title, and second of the year when he takes on Monaco.

The two have faced each other twice, splitting the decisions. Their most recent match was in the quarterfinals of Valencia last year, resulting in a three set victory for the Spaniard.