Valencia SF previews and picks: Ferrer vs. Almagro, Youzhny vs. Tursunov

An all-Spanish semifinal in Valencia will feature David Ferrer and Nicolas Almagro. Another battle between compatriots pits Mikhail Youzhny against fellow Russian Dmitry Tursunov.

(1) David Ferrer vs. (3) Nicolas Almagro

One of the most lopsided rivalries in all of tennis will add another installment when Ferrer and Almagro clash in the semifinals of the Valencia Open on Saturday. Ferrer is a perfect 13-0 lifetime against Almagro, including 5-0 on hard courts. This will bring back nightmares of their most recent showdown for Almagro, who led his fellow Spaniard two sets to love at the Australian Open and served for the match multiple times before going down 4-6, 4-6, 7-5, 7-6(4), 6-2. In fact, their last two meetings have been contested on hard courts. They also faced each other at this same Valencia event in 2012, with Ferrer scoring a 6-3, 7-5 quarterfinal win.

The world No. 3 has cooled off since Wimbledon, but he may be finding second wind for the stretch run through the World Tour Finals. Ferrer finished runner-up last week in Stockholm and so far in Valencia he has taken out Gael Monfils, Julien Benneteau, and Jerzy Janowicz. Almagro earned his place in the last four with victories over Pablo Andujar, Michal Przysiezny, and Fabio Fognini. The world No. 13 is a stellar 41-21 for the year. This may be the surface that gives the underdog his best chance in this matchup, but past history obviously points to another triumph for Ferrer.

Pick: Ferrer in 2

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Dmitry Tursunov vs. Mikhail Youzhny

Another showdown between compatriots will see Tursunov and Youzhny square off for the fourth time in their careers. Youzhny leads the head-to-head series 2-1, but they split their two previous indoor encounters. Tursunov prevailed 6-2, 4-6, 6-2 eight years ago in Moscow and Youzhny earned a tense 7-5, 4-6, 7-6(8) victory at the 2010 St. Petersburg event. They also clashed on the grass courts of Halle in 2008, when Youzhny advanced via a 6-3, 6-1 decision.

Tursunov’s resurgent 2013 campaign has continued this week with straight-set scalps of Albert Montanes, Roberto Bautista Agut, and Jeremy Chardy. The 30-year-old Russian is 31-19 for the season and up to No. 39 in the world. Youzhny, a U.S. Open quarterfinalist, is 37-23 for the year following Valencia defeats of Bernard Tomic, Philipp Kohlschreiber, and Jarkko Nieminen. The world No. 21 owns one of the best return games on tour and the fact that he has been broken only once in his last two matches makes for a dangerous combination. Tursunov has not served better than 60 percent in either of his last two matches, and he will have to do that in order to have a chance in this one.

Pick: Youzhny in 3

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