TENNIS – Fernando Verdasco upset his compatriot Rafa Nadal in the all-Spanis match with 6-4 2-6 6-3 to advance to the fourth round. Andy Murray beat Santiago Giraldo 6-3 6-4 to score his career 499th on the ATP Tour setting up a Round of 16 match against Kevin Anderson. Adrian Mannarino scored his first win against a top-10 beating Stan Wawrinka Diego Sampaolo
Fernando Verdasco pulled off the major upset at Crandon Park when he overcame Rafa Nadal in three sets with 6-4 2-6 6-3. Verdasco saved a break point chance in the seventh game before getting the break in the eighth game as Nadal made a double fault. Nadal broke straight back in the ninth game. Verdasco brought up a set point on Nadal’s serve and selead the first set after 43 minutes when Nadal committed a forehand error.
At the start of the second set Verdasco went down 0-40 but he saved all three break point chances. Nadal saved a break point in the fourth game before claiming a break for 4-2. He broke for the second time to clinch the second set with 6-2 after 43 minutes.
Verdasco faced two break points but he managed to hold his serve breaking a losing streak of five consecutive games. Verdasco turned around the match in the fourth game and broke serve with a series of winners. Verdasco won 100 percent of his first service points. Rafa held his serve by saving a match point at 30-40. Verdasco earned another match point with a forehand winner. Verdasco will face the winner of the match between Juan Monaco and Guillermo Garcia Lopez.
Verdasco fought off nine of the 12 break points he faced during the match to beat Nadal for the second time in a row after Madrid in 2012. Nadal now leads 13-2 in his head-to-head matches against Verdasco. The two Spanish player played an epic five set match at the 2009 Australian Open when Nadal won 6-4 in the fifth set after four hours and a half.
“It’s a huge victory. It’s always nice to feel it in a packed stadium, in a very important tournament like this one and playing against one of the best players in history”, said Verdasco.
“He played well in the third, so he deserved to win more than me without any doubt tonight. Today my game in general has improved since a month and a half ago but at the same time I am still playing with too many nerves in a lot of important moments”, said Nadal
Andy Murray, who lives and trains in Miami, took a re-match over Giraldo, who beat the Scotsman in Madrid in 2014.
Murray broke serve in the sixth game en route to winning the first set with 6-3 before cruising to 4-0 in the second set. Giraldo fended off two match points before breaking serve at 5-2 The Colombian player saved two more break points at 5-4.
Murray closed out the win on the fifth match point to seal his 499th career win. He could become the ninth active player and the 46th player in the Open Era to clinch the 500th milestone win in the circuit.
“Getting to 500 wins is a lot. There is not loads of players that have done it. Hopefully it happens in a couple of days, if not then hopefully on in the year I will win another match and have the opportunity to win many more. It’s a nice milestone to reach when I get there”, said Murray.
Tomas Berdych came back from a set down to edge Bernard Tomic in three sets with 6-7 (4-7)7-6 (7-3) 6-1 after a two-hour and 35-minute battle. The Czech player fought off four match points and hit 39 winners.
Adrian Mannarino upset Stan Wawrinka 7-6 (7-5) 7-6 (7-5) to score his first player against a top 10 and reach his second consecutive fourth round in a Master 1000 Tournament. Mannarino opened the match with a break. The Frenchman recovered from a break down twice the second set before breaking serve for the third time in his match as Wawrinka was serving to force the match to the third set at 5-4. In the tie-break Mannarino converted on his fourth match point to seal after two hours and 12 minutes. Before this match the Frenchman had never won in his previous 12 meets against a top.10 player
Mannarino will take on Austrian emerging star Dominic Thiem who beat Jack Sock 6-4 6-3. Thiem fended off the only break point he faced.
Another Frenchman Gael Monfils won the exciting all-French battle against his compatriot Jo Wilfred Tsonga with 6-4 7-6 (7-4). Monfils converted on two of three break points and fought off four of the five break points he faced. Tsonga played in his first tournament of the year after recovering from an injury
