Fernado Verdasco’s 6-4, 2-6, 6-3 upset of Rafael Nadal in the third round of the Miami Open earns him the title of Player of the Day.
Verdasco (29) was 1-13 against Nadal (2) going into the match. Now he has beaten the 14 time slam champion twice in a row- he won the last time they met on the blue clay of Madrid in 2012, another three set win.
The last time Verdasco had beaten a top ten player was when he beat then world no. 9 Richard Gasquet in Indian Wells last year.
Verdasco broke Nadal in the ninth game of the first set when the Spaniard shanked a forehand, one of a few uncharacteristic shanks to come off his racket in the match.
Verdasco was nervous in the second set, missing some easy shots and dropped it 2-6.
In the third, he pulled himself together and hit a purple patch at at 2-1 returning. Verdasco hit a forehand winner down the line for 15-30, and then hit another forehand winner, his 14th of the match, this one angled and into the corner of the service box, clipping the outside line, for break point.
Verdasco took his second break point with an inspired combination of an angled backhand cross-court into the service box and then, when the ball came right back to him, hitting a inside out forehand to the same spot with such pace it could only be a winner.
Verdasco, now leading 3-1, grabbed the momentum. He kept going for his shots and hitting winners to hold onto his lead and serve out for the match at 5-3.
Verdasco reached his second match point with a forehand winner from mid-court. He then took the match courtesy of a body serve, heavy with top spin, which bounced high off the line and forced an error from the world no. 2.
Verdasco was 12-12 in Miami before this year and enters the last 32 for the third time in his career (2009, 2010). He will play Juan Monaco for a place in the last eight.
Commentary by Christian Deverille
Follow The Miami Open and the ATP Tour with The Tennis Review
thetennisreview 
Leave a comment