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The seventeenth encounter of two compatriots, friends but also great rivals

Verdasco definitely has more "weapons" when it comes to indoor tournaments but Ferrer is currently the world number 3 and his self-confidence and mindset are his big strengths

Hardly ever in his rich career has Ferrer performed brilliantly in this last part of the season and the reason is fairly obvious. These tournaments with fast surface don't suit his style of tennis, while accumulated fatigue is also an important factor, given the fact that the Spaniard is known as one of the hardest working players on the Tour. This season is no exception but the current third player of the ranking was expected to achieve something more. In the last three tournaments he has recorded only four wins, losing to Sousa and Mayer along the way, which was below his level. His biggest slip-up came in Kuala Lumpur, his first indoor tournament of the season, where he lost to the aforementioned Sousa. 

Another challenge of that kind was in store for him in this tournament. After he had lost the first set to Sock, it seemed that we would witness another fiasco of the world number 3. It was a second-round match, because Ferrer, as the first seed, was free in the first round, which meant that Stock had adapted better to the new conditions. However, Ferrer was slowly catching his rhythm and he dominated in the second and especially in the third set. He managed to hold his service in those sets, while he broke Stock's service four times and progressed to the quarterfinals without too much trouble. 


- It is never easy to play the first match of the tournament that is played in different conditions than the previous one. Besides, he is a good player, he has a dangerous forehand that caused me a lot of problems. But, as the match progressed I raised my level of tennis so I have to be pleased with the win - said the Spaniard, who did play somewhat more aggressively as he can boast 29 winners, while making 22 unforced errors. 


In the quarterfinals he will meet his old opponent, compatriot and friend Verdasco. They have already played against each other 16 times. The fact that Ferrer has just slightly better head-to-head record (9-7) only corroborates the fact that there is a big rivalry here at stake and suggests that it should be an even match. As expected, they have played the majority of their clashes on clay, while they have played two times indoors, with each of them grabbing one win. 


Verdasco seems to finds his way around in these conditions better than Ferrer as he has more "weapons". Leaving behind him the period in which he had been searching for his form (he changed the racket), he has finally entered a good period as he had heralded an improvement in Asian tournaments by taking one set against Djokovic and Raonic. 


He has continued with his good performances here, exacting revenge on Dodig and eliminating a very difficult Nieminen. The Finn has a rich experience of playing on these courts as he feel like at home here, but this time he had to admit defeat already in the second round. That match saw Verdasco performing excellent, taking over control of the rallies, and in general being a better, more dangerous player. He did complicate things near the end of the match but he managed to achieve a well-deserved win nonetheless. 


- I am extremely happy to have defeated such a dangerous opponent. He played a couple of extraordinary games but, fortunately, I was able to keep my composure - said Verdasco after the match. 

Before anything else, I'll point out what is very important for me in this match - the fact that Verdasco is not afraid of Ferrer and that he beat him no less than seven times in his career. In addition to that, his playing style is far more suited for indoor conditions, while form is currently on his side too. He was showing progress already back in the Asian tournaments but was hampered by tough draws (Raonic, Djokovic), whereas he has notched a few notable wins here. Dodig and Nieminen are tough players and both of those wins are worthy of praise. Ferrer, however, continues to struggle here (dropped a set against Sock), and clearly his history of poor season closures is repeating. He's always had a distaste for indoor courts, and he practically plays in those conditions only if no other option is available. As he has secured his participation in the final Masters, a good result and form would come in handy, but I think he will be more focused on next week's Valencia. All in all, I think these odds are above expectations and worth placing this stake at the very least.