David Ferrer will attempt to defend his Valencia title when he takes the court against Mikhail Youzhny on Sunday. Youzhny is looking for his second winner’s trophy this season.
David Ferrer and Mikhail Youzhny will be doing battle for the eighth time in their careers when they collide in the Valencia Open final on Sunday.
Youzhny leads the head-to-head series 4-3, but that hardly tells the story of their past history–which is clearly dictated by surface. Ferrer has won both of their previous clay-court encounters, including the most recent time they faced each other at the 2012 French Open (via a 6-0, 6-2, 6-2 blowout). Youzhny has won four in a row against Ferrer on hard courts and four of five overall. The Russian has not lost this matchup on hards since 2003.
Both players were in decent but unspectacular form heading into Valencia. Ferrer showed signs of emerging from a slump by finishing runner-up last week in Stockholm. The third-ranked Spaniard is 42-21 for the year following wins over Gael Monfils, Julien Benneteau, Jerzy Janowicz, and Nicolas Almagro.
Youzhny booked his spot in the title match by dismissing Bernard Tomic, Philipp Kohlschreiber, Jarkko Nieminen, and Dmitry Tursunov. The world No. 21 reached the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open to end the summer before compiling a modest 3-4 record during his first four tournaments of the fall swing.
Youzhny’s serve has never been his strongest suit, but it–like the rest of his flat, penetrating shots–works well on an indoor hard court. He has been broken only twice in his last three matches. This surface allows Youzhny to dictate play against Ferrer and finish points well inside the baseline. Look for the trend of their head-to-head meetings to continue, but not before an entertaining struggle from the back of the court ensues.
Pick: Youzhny in 3
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Watching the Youzhny salute: Youzhny over Ferrer 6/3, 7/5.
SALUTE