Fernando Verdasco’s Dream Year Shows No Signs Of Slowing Down

After a fantastic Australian Open campaign that exceeded perhaps all expectations, you could forgive Fernando Verdasco for feeling the pressure.

After all, the Spaniard has gone from "also-ran" to "genuine contender" in a matter of months. People now expect things from him.

Verdasco, however, is showing no signs of buckling under the weight of expectation. In a tight encounter, he defeated his countryman and occasional doubles partner, Feliciano Lopez, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 in their third-round matchup in the Sony Ericsson Open.

Fernando is now set up for a fourth-round showdown against Radek Stepanek.

Monday's match was a battle throughout, with neither player truly gaining the upper hand at any point.

It was Lopez who started stronger. An early break gave him the advantage, and he showed his mettle by saving five break points as his opponent strived to get back into the match.

The world's No. 34 player was serving strongly, firing seven aces and winning 80 percent of his first-serve points.

The second set belonged to Verdasco, however. The No. 8 seed broke his compatriot quickly and raced into a 3-0 lead; from there, he never looked back, and began to dominate from the baseline, dropping only four points in five service games.

The momentum was with Verdasco as the third set began, and after an early break and hold, a comfortable win looked like a foregone conclusion. Some sloppy tennis allowed Lopez back into the match, however, and at 2-2 in the final set, the match was evenly poised.

Both men held serve until Lopez cracked at 4-4 with a double fault that virtually gifted Verdasco the match, who held and saw the contest off.

Make no mistake about it, Monday's was a match that Verdasco could have lost a year or so ago.

Closing out matches has been a big problem for the 25-year-old; he at one time was prone to double-faults and a lack of concentration, particularly at the end of sets.

But in recent months, there’s been a mental transformation to his game.

One could argue that Verdasco’s defining moment came in the Davis Cup. Rafael Nadal’s injury gave him the chance to shine, and he delivered the winning point for Spain in the final against Argentina.

It was a win that gave Verdasco self-belief—since then, he has continued to roll on the crest of a wave.

A semifinal appearance at the Australian Open immediately followed, and he defeated the likes of Jo Wilfred Tsonga and Andy Murray on the way only to lose out to the eventual champion Nadal in a five set thriller.

That bout with Rafa was the longest match in the history of the tournament - at over five hours to be exact, and Verdasco had proved he can hang with the big hitters.

Determined to show he’s not a one-hit wonder, Verdasco now finds himself in the last 16 of the Miami Masters. And though his tennis looked disjointed at times against Lopez, he had enough to get the job done and now has a winning mentality.

And his new attitude could take him even further.

Murray makes hard work of it in Miami

Well, that was far from straight forward, wasn’t it?

In a match which many thought would represent a relatively easy passage to the third round, Andy Murray gave us quite the scare - before rediscovering his touch to beat Juan Monaco 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, and in the process seal his place in the third round of the Sony Ericsson Open.

Make no mistake about it, this wasn’t the vintage Murray performance that we’ve become accustomed to. There were actually times where he seemed in real danger against the Argentinean. Fortunately, though the usual swagger of his performance was missing, there was no shortage of character from the young man.

In fairness to Monaco, he’s no slouch on the tennis courts. The Argentine currently sits at 59th place in the rankings, and only last year was as high as 14th on the tour - his highest position to date.

And his quality showed, as he comprehensively outplayed an out of sorts Murray in the first set, breaking him in the third game as the Scot struggled to get going.

However, as the match wore on, Murray’s superiority began to tell. He secured a break in the fourth game of the second set, and, in the deciding game of the set, broke the World Number 59 again to level the match.

The force was with Murray at this point, and after raising his game at first, Monaco just couldn’t maintain his level of performance for the whole match. The next set was duly wrapped up by Murray, and he closed out the match comfortably.

Indeed, there’s no doubting Murray made harder work of this match than he should have - in the first set at least. The old Murray might have wilted under such pressure.

He’s now made of sterner stuff, though and he deserves credit for coming back into the match, with the Scotsman showing his fighting qualities in the second and third sets. It was never truly comfortable, however, with Monaco showing stiff resistance throughout. Murray will certainly need to play much better if he is to go far in this tournament and close in on Novak Djokovic’s Number 3 ranking.

On the upside, today’s results have been quite kind to Murray, who has been spared the unenviable prospect of possibly facing David Nalbandian in the 4th round, after the Argentine crashed out at the expense of

Viktor Troicki of Serbia, losing 6-1, 6-3. The powerful Mardy Fish was also eliminated, going down to Nicolas Massú of Chile. And it’s the gutsy Massú next up for Murray.

He won’t be short of match sharpness, that’s for sure.

Nadal strives for back-to-back Masters titles

With one Masters title already in the bag this season, it appears Rafael Nadal is not done just yet.

Just three days after capturing the BNP Paribas Open title in Indian Wells, the Spaniard is at it again, as he sets his sights on the Sony Ericsson Open in Florida.

The event features a field of 96 players – making it one of the biggest events on the tour outside the four grand slams, and with defending champion Nikolay Davydenko unable to compete due to injury, a new champion is guaranteed.

So, is a Nadal victory a forgone conclusion?

You can be sure Roger Federer will have something to say about that, as the world number two looks to win his first title of 2009 – and in the process silence some of his critics.

The draw has worked out nicely for Federer, who shouldn’t face too many problems on his way to the quarter finals. An encounter with Andy Roddick seems the most likely scenario here, which would present us with a rematch from last year’s quarter final, in which the American ended an 11 match losing streak against Federer. A win here would certainly shut up the doubters, and give himself some much needed momentum.

Should Roddick be considered? Some have their doubts about the lack of variety to his game, but his serve is big enough to trouble anyone on tour. A quarter-final against Federer looks a daunting task for the American given his record against him, and a repeat performance from last year may be required.

And what about Andy Murray? The British number one was so impressive en route to the final at Indian Wells, only to be blown away, quite literally, by Nadal in the final. The draw hasn’t been kind to Murray – he could meet Mardy Fish as early as the third round, before meeting the always tough David Nalbandian in the fourth round. Come through that, and Murray could meet the sensation of the Australian Open, Fernando Verdasco or hard-court specialist Radek Stepenek in the quarter finals. Murray will need to be at his very best to progress.

Novak Djokovic is a player who will be looking to find some form. The Serb is seemingly a victim of his own early success at the moment, and a good showing in Florida would go some way towards repairing what has been a disappointing start to 2009 so far. He could meet the powerful Jo Wilfred Tsonga in the quarter finals – a player who has troubled Djokovic in recent meetings.

The aforementioned Radek Stepenek could also spring a surprise. Indeed, the Czech is showing some strong form, and with one trophy to his name already this year, the hardcourt specialist could well ruffle a few feathers in Florida.

Overall though, it’s hard to look past Nadal. The world number one is in imperious form as things stand, and is simply brimming with confidence.

Back to back titles? It’s hard to look past that.

Maria Sharapova ready to return to Woman's Tennis

In recent months, women’s tennis has heard its fair share of criticism.

While the men’s side of the game has thrived with the competition of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal and the emergence of Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic, the ladies have been accused of being all too predictable, with the "sister act" of Venus and Serena Williams playing at a level that others simply cannot match.

However, that could all change in the coming months.

After seven months away from competitive tennis, Maria Sharapova is back. The Russian took part in a doubles match at Indian Wells last week in what was her first serious match since August last year; she teamed up with fellow Russian Elena Vesnina to face Ekaterina Makarova and Tatiana Poutchek.

And though Sharapova's side lost 6-2, 4-6, 10-7, there can be no doubt that seeing Maria back on court is great news for tennis fans everywhere.

It's undeniable that tennis (and the women’s game in particular) has sorely missed Sharapova. It was all too evident at January’s Australian Open, when the lack of depth in the women’s game was exposed.

In the final, Serena Williams took less than an hour to dispose of Dinara Safina, a good player in her own right, winning comfortably 6-3, 6-0. One could argue Sharapova would have put up much more of a fight.

The first item on the agenda for the Russian will undoubtedly be to regain her No. 1 ranking. For the majority of last season, Sharapova was the best lady in the land, but a shoulder injury unfortunately cut her season short.

Seven months of the Williams sisters dominating the tour later, it seems the Russian can’t come back soon enough. Apparently, no one else can seriously challenge the American duo.

Ana Ivanovic has flattered to deceive since her triumph at Roland Garros last year. Jelena Jankovic has promised much but has yet to win a Grand Slam title. And the aforementioned Safina has lost both major finals she’s been a part of.

That’s where Sharapova comes in. She has the game and the pedigree to challenge Serena and sister Venus; her powerful groundstrokes are able to trouble anyone on the tour.

That’s not to say she doesn’t have her detractors. The Russian’s powerful baseline game has often been accused of being one-dimensional. Some say it lacks variety and finesse.

Doubts remain over her fitness, too. Until she proves that she has overcome the shoulder problem which plagued her serve at both the French Open and Wimbledon last year, the uncertainty over her long-term future will persist.

But she will always draw casual fans to the game. The Russian was the most searched-for athlete on Yahoo! in both 2005 and 2008 and is arguably more known for her interests off-court rather than her work on it.

But unlike another certain Russian, who won nothing apart from endorsement contracts, Sharapova has the titles to back up her extracurricular activities.

And that’s what it comes down to: titles. The Williams sisters’ domination has made the women’s game boring and predictable in many people’s eyes, and healthy competition is required at the top end. The ladies need their own Federer v. Nadal-caliber battle.

The return of Maria Sharapova might bring just the competition the sport requires. She may well be the shot in the arm that women’s tennis needs.

Woods cast aside as Buckle looks to youth

After eight years of loyal service for Torquay United, you could argue that the news regarding Steve Woods’s future at Plainmoor comes as somewhat of a surprise.

Despite being a regular in the squad throughout the season, the defender was recently told by manager Paul Buckle that his services would not be required in next year’s campaign. And as a result, Woods will not play for The Gulls for the rest of this season, with plans being made to settle the remainder of his contract at the club.

To say this has left people confused would be an understatement. The timing of the decision has baffled many, who feel that the loss of such an influential player can have no benefit to the squad at such a crucial stage of the season.

There can be no doubt that he’s had a very good season this year. Indeed, it’s no coincidence the inclusion of Woods in the team resulted in an upturn of fortunes for the Gulls, with his partnership in defence with veteran Lee Hodges preceding over a 17 match unbeaten run. It was the perfect answer to his detractors, of which he has had many in recent years.

For all his shortcomings – his lack of pace being one, Woods leads by example. He talks to those around him, organises things, and reads the game well. There can be no doubt that he brought a certain calmness to United’s defence when it needed it most.

However, the difficulty the club would have in offering Woods another contract for next season is that they run the risk of losing some of their more promising young defenders in the summer due to their lack of first team opportunities at the club. Chris Robertson is out of contract in June and has played a bit-part role this season, and Mark Ellis has seen even less action. Both players are still relatively young, and will want regular games if they are not to stagnate as footballers.

Furthermore, there is the issue regarding his troublesome knee. In 2003, a serious knee injury resulted in Woods making only nine appearances. With the defender not getting any younger, could this be a cause of the manager’s decision?

The return of Chris Todd should also be seen as a factor. The 27 year old has recovered from his diagnosis of Leukaemia, and by all accounts has impressed on loan at Salisbury City as he regains his match fitness. It is likely that the Welshman is seen as a first team player for next season, perhaps at Woods’s expense.

By letting him know of his future plans so early on, Buckle has paid Steve Woods the upmost respect. And so he should, after the service he has given the club. But by losing his services for the rest of the season, as things undoubtedly get tenser, experience will be required. And the 32 year old has that in spades, with over 200 United appearances to his name, and promotions and relegations to boot. He has seen it all at Plainmoor, and his experience and know-how could prove to be crucial as the season draws to a close, with The Gulls now firmly in the title picture.

Has Buckle made a serious mistake? Only time will tell.

Dwain Chambers lets himself down once again

Much has been said about Dwain Chambers over the last few years. There are those who believe the sprinter has served his sentence, learned from his misdemeanours, and deserves another chance. He is the best sprinter Britain have to offer when drug-free, after all. On the contrary, there are those who refuse to back the sprinter, saying there is no room in athletics for a convicted drugs cheat. The only way to beat drugs cheats is to have tough, consistent rules that leave athletes in no doubt what will happen if they break the rules. And that’s exactly what Chambers did.

When testing positive for performance enhancing drugs in 2003, there can be no denying he let himself, his fellow athletes, and his country down.
It was up to Chambers to rebuild those bridges; to repay the faith in those who he had let down.

But now, judging by his latest comments, those bridges look to be well and truly burnt.

While there can be no doubting the 31 year old’s talent, he is the equal fastest man in the world this year after all, his PR skills since returning to the track have left a lot to be desired.

First came denial, with the sprinter vigorously denying all the charges against him until the two year ban was actually handed out. His lack of honesty did him no favours.

And even when he finally admitted to his indiscretions, Chambers covered himself in no glory whatsoever.

Appearing on BBC’s Inside Sport two years ago, he showed little remorse for his actions, instead focusing on the advantages that drugs can give an athlete over those who remained clean. When asked whether a clean athlete was likely to beat one using drugs in an Olympic final, Chambers replied: "It's possible, but the person that's taken drugs has to be having a real bad day. That's what I believe".

He was condemned for his comments by the press, and well respected figures in athletics such as Sebastian Coe and Sir Steven Redgrave also showed their disdain.

The admission that drug taking in athletics is rife, though perhaps true, antagonized many leaders in athletics.

And now, it appears he is at it again.

The disgraced sprinter's new autobiography, ‘Race Against Time’, sees Chambers admit to his faults, and rightly so. But by using his book to accuse well respected figures such as Coe and Kelly Holmes of hypocrisy for their own oversights, it seems there could be no way back for the sprinter, in the eyes of the public at least.

The saddest thing about this whole saga is that had he kept his decorum in public, and went about his business in the right way, he may well have competed in Beijing. Indeed, the judge who rejected his appeal to compete at Olympic events said as much, citing that, “the harmony and management of the British team would be upset” if Chambers competed. That in itself said a lot for the regard in which the sprinter was held by the British team.

Chambers had hoped that his book would represent ‘closure’ in regards to his past, but judging by his latest remarks, that doesn’t look like happening any time soon. Though his return to the track has proven to be successful, it seems in terms of his life outside of the track, he has proven himself to be as naïve as ever.

Benyon double puts Oxford to the sword

Oxford’s defenders must be sick of the sight of Elliot Benyon. The Torquay striker bagged two goals as the U’s were dumped out of the FA Cup earlier in the season. On Saturday he was at it again - his brace handing Paul Buckle’s side a win that puts them firmly back in the play-off picture.

Often described as the ‘best natural finisher at Torquay’, Benyon has found opportunities hard to come by at Plainmoor this season. But when Iyseden Christie pulled up with an injury deep into the first half, Benyon had his chance. And how he took it, with two opportunist goals that left Gulls manager Paul Buckle delighted.

“Elliot is a good player, and one thing he can do is put the ball in the net.
No one likes being left out, but Elliot was brilliant in training in the next session, as he always has been.

I told him before the game that I believed he would get his chance and his rewards.”

And so it proved. Both goals were typical poachers efforts; the first a close range header after Tim Sills’ original effort had cannoned off the crossbar on 65 minutes, the second coming five minutes later, with the 21 year old finishing coolly after Billy Turley’s goalkick was mishit into his path. Indeed, a case of right place, right time.

Not that Benyon would be complaining. With eleven goals in eleven starts for
United, he could well be key to Torquay’s playoff challenge as we reach the
business end of the season.

In a game filled with controversy, it was Oxford who started the match as
favourites. Buoyed by the impact of Chris Wilder as manager, the U’s had gone into the match on a run of eight wins and a draw from their last nine Blue Square Premier games, and the Kassam Stadium’s biggest gate of the season had turned up to see win number nine.

But Paul Buckle’s side had other ideas. And when Oxford’s Craig Nelthorpe was shown the red card for a wild lunge on Gulls winger Mustafa Carayol after 33 minutes, it seemed the momentum was with the Gulls, as they looked to take the game to ten man Oxford.

Things were soon evened up however. Just minutes after entering the fray, substitute Roscoe Dsane allowed referee Simon Beck the chance to make it 10 vs 10 with a reckless challenge on Damian Batt deep into the Oxford half on 59 minutes. Mr Beck duly obliged, and Dsane was sent off against Oxford for the second time this season.

However, just when it seemed the tide was turning, Benyon struck with a quick fire double, scoring in the 65th and 70th minutes. Oxford had no answer, and the Gulls defence stood firm for a deserved three points that could prove to be crucial come May, something Buckle was quick to stress.

"We needed to win, and we came here to win. We were bold, and we have deserved a lot more than we've got of late.”

For the sake of Torquay’s promotion hopes, many Gulls supporters will be hoping a certain striker gets the chance he sorely deserves for the remainder of this season.