BNP Paribas Masters, Paris

[CR33] Fernando Verdasco (ESP) looks to be finding some of his old form. In today’s match against [CR19] Gilles Simon (FRA), Verdasco stayed mentally focused when he lost the second set, showing his willingness to commit and fight for the victory, something he has not done consistently in recent years.

Verdasco’s performance of late has been less than stellar, suffering many losses that were inexplicable given his talent. He knew that this was not going to be an easy victory as both players are baseliners, who make the occasional foray to the net on their terms. Though the slight advantage could go to Verdasco because he is capable of finishing points better than Simon, Simon anticipates and moves much better.

The competition was fierce as each player tried to gain control, yet there was no domination by either player and in the end it came down to a few costly errors for Simon. This encounter went to Verdasco 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, but it was a hard-fought victory.