Fellow Spaniards and World Tour Finals hopefuls Rafael Nadal and David Ferrer will be in second-round action on Wednesday in Beijing. They are going up against Vasek Pospisil and Lukas Rosol, respectively.
Vasek Pospisil vs. (3) Rafael Nadal
Nadal and Pospisil will be going head-to-head for the first time in their careers when they collide in round two of the China Open on Wednesday. Benefiting from a favorable draw against Chinese wild card Di Wu, Nadal advanced through his opener 6-4, 6-4 despite another unspectacular performance on Tuesday. The eighth-ranked Spaniard is 46-15 for the season and looking for just his fourth title while also hoping to wrap up a spot at the World Tour Finals.
Pospisil also struggled at times in his first-rounder but managed to scrape past Victor Estrella Burgos 4-6, 7-5, 6-0. Overall it was a productive day at the office for Pospisil, who ended a five-match doubles losing streak with partner Jack Sock by overcoming Fabio Fognini and Simone Bolelli 7-6(5), 2-6, 11-9. In singles, the Canadian is a decent 21-20 for the year and registers at a solid 44th in the world thanks mainly to a quarterfinal run at Wimbledon. Nadal is extremely vulnerable right now and Pospisil has the big-hitting game that can trouble Beijing’s No. 3 seed, but the underdog is 0-11 against the current top four players in the world and may lack belief against this kind of opponent.
Pick: Nadal in 3
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(4) David Ferrer vs. Lukas Rosol
Ferrer and Rosol will be squaring off for the fifth time in their careers on Wednesday. All four of their previous encounters have gone the way of Ferrer, who is 8-1 lifetime in total sets at Rosol’s expense. The two veterans most recently faced each other earlier this year in Miami, where the Spaniard prevailed 6-4, 7-5.
Fresh off a title in Kuala Lumpur, Ferrer does not appear to be looking back in Beijing. The world No. 7 opened on Tuesday by disposing of Thomaz Bellucci 6-4, 6-3. Rosol kicked off his week with a 1-6, 7-6(6), 6-3 comeback win over Aljaz Bedene. The 79th-ranked Czech is a dismal 17-26 at the ATP level in 2015 and he has not won more than two matches at a tournament since the French Open. This is a nightmare matchup for Rosol, as Ferrer is one of the best returners in the game and can break down more one-dimensional opponents.
Pick: Ferrer in 2
[polldaddy poll=9113463]
Winners to UEs: 16/12 for Pospy, 4/7 for Rafa.
You don’t usually see those types of numbers for the player that loses the set.
The clue is in the number of UEs. Some of Pops winners are unreturned serves including aces.
??
A winner is a winner.
A few of Pop’s winners would be in one gme.
Tomorrow’s schedule
http://www.atpworldtour.com/en/scores/current/beijing/747/daily-schedule
0-30 to 40-30
Break
Rafa breaks. Hope he holds his serve from now on.
Rafa gets the break! Loose game from Pospi. Now it would be nice if Rafa can get this done in two sets.
hawkeye, it also depends on when you make the winners and UEs. If they are not big points they don’t count as much.
#NadlineMaths
The evidence is on my side. Rafa won the set.
Better tennis from Rafa in the 2nd.
Would liek to see hime serve it out
The moment of Truth.
#EmptySeats
Rafans:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CQt6fQUUAAAEWvr.jpg
Double set pt. Nice from Rafa.
Nice straight set win for Rafa! Good job!
NNY, I’m glad you took my advice to watch for yourself and form your own opinion; much better.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CQuVseXUcAAfFZo.png
I thought that Rafa was more aggressive in the second set. He was moving into the court and taking the initiative. I liked the body language, the focus and concentration. But most of all, I liked seeing Rafa stay strong in that tight first set and also take control of the tb.
I am not going to get carried away, but I do like what I am seeing from Rafa.
Short ball costs Rafa on his first MP but a poor approach set Rafa up for an inside out FH pass for the victory.
Nice win for Rafa.
Ricky has picked Sock to beat Rafa in the QF.
I think Rafa will win.
didnt drop serve the whole time
Hey, I didn’t even think of that and it’s probably the most important thing! 🙂
The stats show that Rafa won five out of six net points, so he was going to net more in that second set. Really good serving stats.
Well done, Rafa!
(Via ChinaOpen)
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CQuVfvLWgAA-Bpb.jpg
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CQuVseXUcAAfFZo.png
Winners/UEs – exhibit ‘A’
Sock hasn’t lost a set losing less than three games per set on average.
I am picking Rafa to beat Sock. If he continues to play like this, then I think he will do it. Now I wonder if Ricky will change his prediction.
why? Sock has been outstanding, and he is way more dangerous than Pospisil.
he’s also a much worse matchup for Nadal
Most Top 40 players are a much worse matchup for Nadal than Pospisil.
So I guess you are not changing your prediction. I don’t want to get carried away here when it comes to Rafa. I haven’t been watching much tennis lately and haven’t seen Sock. I know he’s got game and you have indicated that he’s been playing well. This will be a good test for Rafa.
i’m not saying i am or am not. I just want to know why i should change it based on anything that happened today.
You won’t.
really canot say much as Rafa has been so up and down all year. He cud play terrible in the quarters and lose. or he plays lights out tennis and wins losing not more than 5 games. Anything can happen…just that kind of year
atul,
Really well said. I thought Rafa played well today, but as you said he’s been inconsistent all year. He could play great against Sock or come out playing defensive and hanging out behind the baseline.
I think the match with Sock will be a tough one. I don’t pretend that it will be easy.
Ricky,
I am not telling you to change your prediction based on what you saw today. I had my doubts about Sock beating Rafa in the quarterfinals. I posted something to that effect. However, it is true that I have not seen Sock play and apparently he’s in really good form. This is the first good look I’ve had of Rafa. I know that Pospisil isn’t as tough as Sock. I am taking that into account.
The truth is that Rafa can lose to just about anyone these days. I actually think he will need to be more aggressive against Sock than he was today. I am not saying that Sock cannot win this match. But I still think that Rafa can pull off the win. If I’m wrong, it certainly wouldn’t be the first time. 🙂
Rafa has played Sock before so he kind of knows what to expect. In the first set against Pops, Rafa was feeling his way and was not reading the serve very well.