A real shock - 5/3/2011

Date: 5/3/2011

Result: Madrid R1, Yen-Hsun Lu def. Fernando Verdasco, 7-6 7-5

Why it matters: 

- Everything I said previously about Lu on clay still stands. He didn't magically put on a clay master class today.  And he didn't make that many small adjustments to begin to become a clay court threat.  That being said, his game isn't on its face horrible for clay courts, it just has never worked before.  But Lu had never been lucky enough previously to face an opponent who looked like he was ready to self-destruct from the first point.  We'll see if this spurs Lu on to more on the dirt.

- Another poor Verdasco result in an important clay event.  Last year's runs in Monte-Carlo and Rome seemed like the start of something big, but after back-to-back poor results (sandwiching a good run in the smaller event in Estoril), Verdasco is on the outside looking in to the elite.  His attitude on court was the most disturbing part of this loss.  It must be frustrating to not perform at home against a less-than-dangerous opponent, but blaming the court surface and other random factors is ridiculous.  Verdasco will be back in Rome, but will he be better?

Honorable Mentions:

- Madrid R2, David Ferrer def. Adrian Mannarino - 75 06 60 - Talk about momentum swings.  Truth be told, for the first two sets Ferrer was being outplayed regularly, but Mannarino squandered his opportunities in the first, and then ran out of them in the third.  This is the type of match top players just need to get through sometimes.  Nothing too much to worry about, just really odd for Ferrer.  Hopefully he's gotten it out of his system.  Mannarino can take a lot from this - he knows he can hang with the big boys on their best surface, but turning that into something for the French to talk about in a few week?  That'll be trickier.

- Madrid R2, Francesca Schiavone def. Sara Errani - 60 26 63 - Francesca still needs to find her best tennis, but she's still got three weeks before it becomes extremely critical.  She had flashes of brilliance, but I think she's feeling the pressure this year that comes with expectation.  Without the element of surprise and hope, and that joie de vivre that effervesced during her French Open run last year, she's not the same player.  If she finds the inspiration, the field is as wide open as last year, so don't count Schiavone out.  But given her current form, the more likely scenario is she crumbled at an early hurdle while trying to defend.