Hold off on the final goodbyes: David Ferrer isn't going anywhere just yet. The 37-year-old Spaniard beat friend and compatriot Roberto Bautista Agut 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 on Tuesday to stave off retirement for at least another day at the Mutua Madrid Open.
The former World No. 3 broke in the fifth game of the decider and held the rest of the way to set up a second-round meeting with third seed Alexander Zverev of Germany. The 21-year-old leads their FedEx ATP Head2Head series 4-3, but Ferrer won their last meeting at the Miami Open presented by Itau in March.
Ferrer and Bautista Agut showed classic clay-court tennis, exchanging punishing baseline rallies for much of the first-rounder, with a steady diet of drop shots and net approaches mixed in as well. Ferrer more than held his ground, showing the craftsmanship and speed that helped him win 27 tour-level titles, including 13 on clay.
Most Clay-Court Titles (Active Players)
|
Rafael Nadal |
57 |
|
Novak Djokovic |
13 |
|
David Ferrer |
13 |
|
Roger Federer |
11 |
|
Tommy Robredo |
11 |
He broke in the seventh game when Bautista Agut netted a forehand pass, but Bautista Agut broke in the 10th game of the second set as Ferrer served to stay in the set.
The decider featured five breaks of serve, including four consecutively, and Ferrer received a medical timeout for pain in his left hip flexor while leading 3-2. But, as he's done all his career, he didn't let up and served out the match for win No. 734.
Most Overall Wins (Active Players)
|
Roger Federer |
1,198-262* |
|
Rafael Nadal |
935-193 |
|
Novak Djokovic |
852-179 |
|
David Ferrer |
733-376 |
|
Andy Murray |
663-191 |
*Does not include Federer's opening match in Madrid
from Tennis - ATP World Tour http://bit.ly/2J51FTV
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