Clay formbook now wide open
BARCELONA : Seven-time champion Rafael Nadal now has a secondround target in mind as he lines up against Argentinian Carlos Berlocq for today’s start at the Barcelona Open.
Berlocq booked his place for a second meeting this season with Nadal through a win over Spain’s Daniel Gimeno-Traver 7-5 6-4 yesterday.
Nadal will be baying for blood after losing his bid for a historic ninth straight title in Monte Carlo at the weekend, when he went down in straight sets to Novak Djokovic.
The dethroning of the king of clay throws the Roland Garros formbook wide open, with the world number one Serb now among the title favourites for the clay Major starting in Paris on May 26.
But Nadal is focused on recovering his form in time to do some damage –and the job starts this week on the home clay of the Real Club de Tenis.
“I will try my best now to play a very good week in Barcelona. It’s a tournament that I love. We have Barcelona, then we have Madrid, then we have Rome. I have enough time (before the French Open),” he said.
Nadal beat Berlocq in the pair’s quarter-final two months ago in Sao Paolo as Nadal was making his return to the courts after sitting out seven long months from last summer with his chronic knee injuries.
Berlocq was untroubled by Gimeno-Traver, who struck a helpful six double-faults in their first-round match. The winner now stands 12-8 on clay this season.
The Argentinian was the hero of his country’s 3-2 Davis Cup quarter-final win over Spain this month, earning the decisive fifth point. But Nadal remains unconcerned. “He’s a good clay specialist and is on good form. But I’m only worried about my game,” said Nadal, who is the second seed behind David Ferrer.
Berlocq said he would have to make the most of his game to beat Nadal.
“This will be different than our match in Brazil, it will also be very difficult. He’s probably in better condition, coming here in great form. To face the best player in history on the clay is special for me,” Berlocq said.
In other developments, Tomas Berdych began play in the second round but had to fight back to defeat Nikolay Davydenko 3-6 7-5 6-4 – saving a match point in the second set.
After two-time semi-finalist Davydenko missed his winning chance, Berdych reversed the momentum, winning the second set and ending the victory with his ninth ace in the third after two-and-a-half hours.
German eighth seed Philipp Kohlschreiber joined him in the third round, beating Russian Alex Kuznetsov 6-3 6-7 7-6, while Latvia’s qualifier Ernests Gulbis crushed 2010 champion and 12th seed Fernando Verdasco 6-3 6-4.
In the first round, there was a win for Australian Bernard Tomic, who took his first on clay this spring after exiting a week ago in the Monte Carlo first round.
Tomic, ranked 47th, beat French qualifier Kenny De Schepper 6-4 4-6 62 in just under two hours. De Schepper saved 14 out of 18 break points chances in defeat, while Spain’s Albert Ramos beat German lucky loser Jan-Lennard Struff 6-4 7-6. – Sapa-DPA