Fizzled grudge match - 4/30/2011

Date: 4/30/2011
Result: Estoril SF, Fernando Verdasco def. Milos Raonic, 6-4 ret.
Why it matters:
- The grudge match that wasn't.  Well, it kind of was.  Verdasco should spin this as if he got the revenge he wanted after back-to-back losses to Raonic in February, after which Verdasco said he wanted to face the Canadian on clay to show him "real tennis".  Fernando needs to convince himself that this was the win he needed to overcome his previous irritation.  And there is some evidence that it was a significant win.  Both players had to finish their quarterfinal matches earlier in the day, which likely contributed to Raonic's retirement - no need getting seriously injured before the big event in Madrid - so Verdasco's fitness (more specifically, his ability to play multiple matches without risk of injury) won out.  And I think his complaint about Raonic's style being all serve stands up - hitting big serves can be taxing, but it takes a different level of fitness to grind through a high quality clay court match.  Even so, there will probably be a seed of doubt in Verdasco's mind about Raonic until he takes him out in a completed match and has the feeling of winning match point.
- As mentioned above, Raonic's withdrawal likely is with an eye on Madrid (where the altitude may help is big game), Rome and of course Paris, so I'm not going to read too much into the retirement.  Raonic is smart and well aware of how the year is going for him (10th best year-to-date), and that he'll need big results in the big events to keep pace.  We'll see how he performs in Madrid as proof of this.  But the fact of the matter was he was being asked to play at minimum 3 sets and at most 5 sets on this day, and guess how many he'll need to play in each individual round at Roland Garros?  Exactly.  If he wants to be an all-court contender, making sure he's got himself into top condition will be critical.

Honorable Mentions:
- Munich SF, Florian Mayer def. Philipp Petzschner - 63 64 - this was an interesting match in the battle between the Germans to take the lead in this generation of players, as well as making a push to match the results of the German women like Petkovic and Goerges.  As with Goerges, a title before the home crowd could really boost the profile of Mayer, who already has been asserting himself.  With 10 Germans in the top 100, but none in the top 30 (Mayer is tops at 35), someone will need to step up and inspire the others if they have any hope of matching the success of the Spaniards.
- Madrid R1, Victoria Azarenka def. Vera Dushevina - 60 60 - Azarenka seems to have recovered from her injury in Stuttgart.  I mentioned previously that it was hard to believe that Azarenka is a top 5 player, but she's really trying to prove me, and her other doubters, wrong.  Azarenka's game doesn't seem tailored to clay courts, but if she can string together a bunch of wins this spring, watch out for her on the American hardcourts where she traditionally excels.  For Vera, just forget about this one...