Rio Open, Brazil Men’s Final: [CR9] David Ferrer (ESP) vs. [CR28] Fabio Fognini (ITA) Ferrer kept his undefeated streak against Fognini going with an easy 6-2, 6-3 victory. He outran and outplayed Fognini, something Nadal was unable to do yesterday. Unlike Nadal, he trusted in his ability to defeat Fognini knowing he had never lost to…
Continue reading →Rio Open, Brazil [CR3] Rafael Nadal (ESP) vs. [CR55] Pablo Carreno Busta (ESP) There is no place to hide on the tennis court and when you are lacking confidence, all areas of your game are affected and on display for the world to see. Nadal will work through this phase; however, the process may be slow…
Continue reading →Rio Open, Brazil [CR28] Fabio Fognini (ITA) vs. [CR50] Pablo Andujar (ESP) Fognini got a scare in his previous match and came out today showing the caliber of tennis he is capable of producing when he chooses to focus. Fognini can frustrate his fans, especially when he seems to be playing in a mental fog. Andujar was…
Continue reading →Rio Open, Brazil [CR88] Joao Souza (BRA) vs. [CR92] Blaz Rola (SLO) Souza started out playing with confidence and executed his shots almost to perfection. Cheered on by the home crowd, he quickly went up 5-1. Yet, the adrenaline of the moment could not overcome the magnitude of what he was trying to accomplish and…
Continue reading →Rio Open, Brazil [CR3] Rafael Nadal (ESP) vs. [CR64] Thomaz Bellucci (BRA There was early evidence that Nadal is still fighting an internal battle with doubts. He went up a break twice in the first set, only to immediately lose his serve each time, unable to consolidate the break. This is not something we are…
Continue reading →Rio Open presented by Claro, Brazil [CR77] Jarkko Nieminen (FIN) vs. [CR156] Marco Cecchinato (ITA) Veteran players are realizing that winning matches easily against lower ranked players is no longer guaranteed. There is a of crop of young, talented, and confident players that have taken the tour by storm. Nieminen had his hands full against the young Italian and had to…
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