Well done Verdasco, can he go further?

Yeeaah! That's exactly what I've been wondering since his victory. Beating Rafa on his beloved surface(in his style) definitely is something big but even such a huge and incredible victory hasn't given him some kind of a certificate that makes his further victories certain for him. It's a new day, a new match, a new opponent and a new winner and as they say.. preparation doesn't really matter in tennis, performance does. So can't say anything about it, at least now. I hope he makes it to the trophy though :D

Who knows. The "slick" clay really does even the playing field. The top guys are not going to be so dominate (as we so in Novak first match, Federer's match against Milos and most recently, Nadal's loss against Verdasco).

Verdasco has always been one of my fav players (especially after the effort he put into when he faced Nadal in that classic aussie open semi final in 2009). He has one of the best offensive forehands that can actually almost match Nadal's topspin.

He has a decent record against Berdych. They are both 2-2 on clay. But Berdych is a more solid, consistent player. Verdasco struggles to maintain his focus and intensity for long periods during a tournament and for that reason, I think Tomas is going to beat him in 2 sets, maybe 3 if Verdasco digs deep.

Would like to see Verdasco progess though. You know, him being the home hero...

Excellent question.

Oftentimes, if a guy has a big win, he plays lousy in the next match. Let's hope Fernando [World #19] keeps it going :-) He's in his home country, so that's a plus for him.

Tomas Berdych [World # 7] is a formidable opponent, so it will not be easy, that's for sure. Vamos Fernando !!! ...... may the better player win.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLoDCs32-SU&feature...