Confidence is key - 5/10/2011

Date: 5/10/2011
Result: Rome R2, Robin Soderling def. Fernando Verdasco, 2-6 7-5 6-4
Why it matters:
- What a little bit of confidence could've done for Verdasco today.  It looked like he'd found it from somewhere, maybe taking down Raonic in a complete match once and for all was really big for him, when he raced through a near perfect first set and was set up to close out the second.  But his incredible collapse at 6-2 5-4 40-0 was truly breathtaking.  He just isn't having the follow-up season he wanted after a pretty great 2010 and that has his confidence in the tubes.  Unfortunately for Verdasco, he showed the world exactly what can happen to a player who is low in confidence.  Where does he go from here?  Unfortunately, it's hard to see anywhere other than down.  He'll put together a run sometime and maybe turn things around by the end of 2011, but finishing the year in the top 20, at this point, would be an accomplishment.
- Soderling showed why weathering a storm for as long as possible is SUCH a valuable skill.  Soderling was playing fine while Verdasco was dominating.  He stuck around close to a player who could do no wrong until that player did a lot wrong.  By not pressing and playing outside of his capabilities, Soderling saved the match.  That's not to say pushing one's self is never the right answer, but he made a smart decision given the circumstances and didn't give Verdasco a bigger lead which would've taken the pressure off.

Honorable Mentions:
- Rome R1, Romina Oprandi def. Kaia Kanepi - 75 36 61 - What have you done for me lately Ms. Kanepi? Without a top 20 win this year, Kanepi feels ridiculously overranked.  And with a large chunk of her points coming off at Wimbledon where she tore a hole through the draw in 2010, Kanepi might slide down to her rightful place for the way she's been playing recently.  But for all the bad losses she's had this year, Kanepi's got a ton of talent and probably will never find a settling place.  She'll keep yo-yoing around.  And with all this, it's a good win for Oprandi.  She'll be a home-favorite to make a surprising run.
- Rome R1, Paolo Lorenzi def. Thomaz Bellucci - 76 63 - Bellucci doesn't have the experience to back up as intense a week as he had in Madrid with another top-flight result.  Lorenzi played well, and has been putting together a solid season for his standards, but it was all about the drop in level by Bellucci compared to when it looked like he might snap Djokovic's streak.  Bellucci will bounce back and be a dangerous opponent to whoever has the misfortune of facing him in Paris.  And Lorenzi gets to be the national hero for the day, after some disappointing results for his compatriots.