Tomas Berdych.net
a.k.a. The Birdman
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Name: Catella Swedish
Open Place: Bastad, Sweden Website:
1. David Ferrer 2. Fernando Verdasco 3. Tommy Robredo 4. Tomas Berdych 5. Carlos Moya 6. Gael Monfils 7. Jarkko Nieminen 8. Robin Soderling
[1] David FERRER (ESP) -
bye
A 28-draw, with one Top Ten player. David Ferrer is the #1 seed, Fernando Verdasco is #2, Tommy Robredo #3 (meaning that this event, like Gstaad, has three Top Twenty players), and #4 seed Tomas Berdych has the last bye. The #5 seed is Carlos Moya's (interesting how quickly he came back after the grass season ended), with Gael Monfils #6 (assuming he can play after bailing out of Wimbledon), Jarkko Nieminen #7, and Robin Soderling #8.
The fact that this event is in Sweden is rather a help to the field; it also features Jonas Bjorkman (who could face Robredo in the second round if he can win his opener, which seems unlikely against Marcel Granollers on clay) and Thomas Johansson (who could face Berdych in the second round). In addition, Soderling must open against Fabio Fognini, who seems to be turning into a pretty good clay player, and then perhaps Olivier Rochus. Ernests Gulbis could be Nieminen's second round opponent. Moya will have! to open against Potito Starace, with the resurgent Marat Safin his likely second round opponent. And Verdasco will likely play his opener against Filippo Volandri, who has about two more weeks to rescue a disastrous clay season (and year).
July 5, 2008 - On Saturday evening the draw for the 61st edition
of the Catella Swedish Open took place. Since the tournament has a 28 draw due
to the Olympic Games, the four top-seeds, David Ferrer, Fernando Verdasco, Tommy
Robredo and Tomas Berdych will have
a bye into the second round. Defending champion Ferrer takes on the winner between a qualifier
and Serbian Boris Pashanski. Spaniard Verdasco faces either Swedish wild card
Ervin Elsekovic or Filippo Volandri from Italy. Robredo, who plays in Båstad for
the eighth time in hi career, faces countryman Marcel Granollers or Jonas
Björkman, who plays in Båstad for the last time in his career. Fourth seed Berdych, a runner-up here in 2005,
meets the winner between Thomas Johansson and wild card Filip
Prpic. Spanish veteran Carlos Moya, seeded No. 5 opens his Båstad
campaign against Italy's Potito Starace. The 31-year-old Geneva-resident claimed
the Båstad title in 2002 by defeating Younes El Aynaoui in the final. If Moya
reaches the second round, he could face an exciting encounter against Marat
Safin, a semifinalist at Wimbledon earlier this week. The 28-year-old Russian
takes on a qualifier in the opening
round. Gael Monfils, a semifinalist at Roland Garros last month, is back
in Båstad again. He opens up his Bastad campaign against Swedish wild card
Michael Rydersted. No. 7 seed Jarkko Nieminen, a Bastad semifinalist in 2006, takes
on Argentina's Sergio Roitman. The Finn competes in the Catella Swedish Open for
the sixth time in his career. Swedish favorite Robin Söderling, opens up against Italian Fabio Fognini, a player he meets for the first time in his career. Söderling has two final appearances in 2008, Memphis and Rotterdam, while the Italian's best effort are two semifinals, Warsaw and Costa do Sauipe.
Order of Play - Monday, July 7, 2008
Court 1 Match Start 13.00
it's raining in Bastad
double Safin/Berdych postponed
Order of Play - Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Court 1 Match Start 12.00
Thomas Johansson came through an all-Swedish encounter against wild card Filip Prpic 7-6(4), 6-3 to reach the second round on his ninth appearance in Bastad. Play was interrupted by rain with the match finely balanced in the first set tie-break at 6-6(6-3) in Johansson's favor. At the resumption, the 2002 Australian Open champion Johansson closed out the first set before converting one of three break points in the second set to claim victory after 1 hr., 36 min. He goes on to face fourth-seeded Czech Tomas Berdych, against whom he recently lost in Halle.
Aged 33, Thomas Johansson never won the Catella Swedish Open in nine previous participations. But the 2002 Australian Open champion is not as uncomfortable on clay as one may tend to think. He proved it today in an all-Swedish battle against Filip Prpic, who was awarded a wild-card by the organisers. He will now face # 4 seed from the Czech Tomas Berdych.
"It will be a tough game. Berdych is good on all surfaces," Johansson said. "It will be fun to see what I can make of it."
Center Court Match Start 12.00
The Czech survived a shaky first set to beat Swede Thomas Johansson 7-6 (2), 6-2
It was an historic day for the Catella Swedish Open. For the first time ever, night matches were played on centre court. Yet, if the atmosphere was unique, local hero Thomas Johansson was not able to make the night a total joy for the spectators. Against 4th seed Tomas Berdych, a former runner up here, Johansson fought hard, but fell short. Yet, up until 6 all in the first set, it looked as if Johansson who varied well and often surprised Berdych with some great volleys, could score an upset. But the 33 year-old Swede had a bad tie-break start, as he rapidly went down 5-0. He was never able to come back, losing 7-6(2) 6-2. Berdych will face Potito Starace in the quarters.
Unseeded Italian Potito Starace sent former world no. 1 Marat Safin packing out of the 2008 Swedish Open with a hard-earned 7-6 (4), 3-6, 6-4 victory Wednesday to reach the clay court tournament's quarterfinal round. Starace, who also showed former champion
Carlos Moya the door in a 6-7 (4), 7-6 (6), 6-4 defeat in the opening round,
will next meet fourth-seeded Tomas
Berdych.
Starace next will face fourth-seeded Czech Tomas Berdych, who fired 12 aces and converted two of six break points as he defeated the 33-year-old Swede Thomas Johansson 7-6(2), 6-2. World No. 23 Berdych, who was a finalist in Bastad on his event debut in 2005 (l. to Nadal), is through to his third quarterfinal this season, after reaching the semifinals at the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami (l. to Nadal) and the quarterfinals in Sydney (l. to Guccione).
Court 1
- Match Start 12.00
Second-seeded Spaniard Fernando Verdasco will meet fourth seed Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic for the sixth time on Saturday. Berdych
will be looking to avenge his Wimbledon third round defeat to Verdasco,
after knocking out unseeded Italian Potito Starace 6-3, 6-2 in the pair's first
career meeting since 2004 Kitzbuhel. World No. 23
Berdych hit seven aces and won 80 per cent of service points to
take his place in his second ATP semifinal of the season. The 22-year-old
Monte-Carlo resident improved to 20-13 on the season and will be looking to
reach his second Bastad final on Saturday. In 2005, Berdych
finished runner-up (l. to Nadal). Starace, who celebrates his 27th
birthday on July 14, dropped to 13-18 on the season.
Center court - Match Start 13.00 Tomas BERDYCH (CZE) vs. Fernando VERDASCO (ESP) Followed by
David FERRER (ESP) vs. Tommy ROBREDO (ESP) Followed by
Jonas BJÖRKMAN (SWE) / Robin SÖDERLING (SWE) vs. Simon ASPELIN (SWE) / Thomas JOHANSSON (SWE)
Tomas Berdych avenged his Wimbledon
defeat to Fernando Verdasco in the Catella Swedish Open semifinals
Fourth-seeded Czech Tomas Berdych advanced to the final at the Catella Swedish Open for the second time after battling past second-seeded Spaniard Fernando Verdasco 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 in Bastad on Saturday. In the first time since 1984 that the top four seeds had completed the semifinal line-up, Berdych served eight aces and converted three of six break points, in a match interrupted by rain, to avenge his recent Wimbledon loss against Verdasco. He now will third-seeded Tommy Robredo in the final. The 22-year-old Berdych first reached the final in Bastad on his debut and finished runner-up to Rafael Nadal. He will now contest his first ATP final since 2007 Halle, where he captured his third ATP singles title with victory over Marcos Baghdatis. Verdasco is currently enjoying a career-high South African Airways ATP Ranking of No. 13 on the strength of a first grass-court final appearance at Nottingham (l. to Karlovic), a Wimbledon fourth round exit (l. to Ancic), and two quarterfinal finishes at Valencia (l. to Ferrer) and Masters Series Hamburg (l. to Federer). Berdych, who was a ranked a career-high No. 9 in the South African Airways ATP Rankings on August 20, 2007, is now placed at No. 23. In recording his 23rd victory over Spanish players, he improved his season match record to 21-13. His campaign, until now, has been highlighted by a semifinal exit at the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami (l. to Nadal) and a quarterfinal appearance in Sydney (l. to Guccione).
Sun Jul 13, 2008 - Spaniard Tommy Robredo won the second
Swedish Open title of his career on Sunday, easily beating Tomas Berdych 6-4 6-1 after the Czech hurt his
knee midway through the opening set. "I was a bit lucky today
because Tomas Berdych hurt his knee.
Still, I'm happy because I've had a great
week." The pair were evenly
matched until fourth-seeded Berdych
injured himself when he broke back to 3-3 in the first set and took a time-out
to have his knee taped. Unfazed by the delay,
Robredo broke Berdych immediately
with a forehand down the line after a poor drop shot by the Czech and then held
serve to clinch the set. In the second, the big-hitting Berdych started looking to finish nearly all the points quickly because of his injury and made far too many mistakes as a result.
Robredo broke the struggling Czech three times in the second set starting with the first game and then to take a 4-1 lead before finishing him off to clinch the title.
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