Make no mistake about it – David Ferrer is good on clay. Very good. Approaching Rafael Nadal standards of good. Proof, if more were needed after his progress over the past ten days, came on Tuesday when he dispatched Tommy Robredo 6-2, 6-1, 6-1 in an hour and 25 minutes, taking less time to make it through to the semi-finals today than his female counterparts Serena Williams and Sara Errani. ( Read:French open: Serena makes her way to the semis )
Having seen off two big servers in Feliciano Lopez and Kevin Anderson in rounds two and three, he showed today that he could out-clay a clay-courter, dropping just four games against a man who has won 10 titles on red dirt, including in Casablanca this year. (Read: French Open: Tsonga defeats Fedrer in quarterfinals )
The win saw Ferrer reach the semi-finals without dropping a set or being so much as taken to a tie-break (Lopez took him to a 7-5), while for Robredo, it was doubtless a bridge too far – the 31-year-old had, after all, been through the mill here this year. He can at least console himself with the fact that he became the first man in 76 years – since Henri Cochet in fact, after whom a stand is named around Philippe Chatrier Court – to come back from two sets down to win in three consecutive Grand Slam matches.
Robredo was running on fumes towards the end, as Ferrer rattled off the last six games in a mere 20 minutes, none of them lasting more than six points. Indeed, only six games went to deuce in the entire match, meaning that Ferrer – a paragon of fitness anyway – will be as fresh as a daisy going into the semi-finals. "When you're in good shape, you feel good, you can be totally motivated, you have this will to play, you're ready to play for five hours, for five sets," the diminutive Valencian said after the match. "In a Grand Slam, that's very important. When you reach the last rounds all players will tell you the same thing you have to be in a very good shape. Physically I managed to play the last round without wasting too much energy, and as you know, it's very important. The quicker that you're off the court, the better."
Unfortunately for him, he will face another player who has yet to drop a set in the shape of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Something’s got to give when the big server meets the great returner on Friday. Unstoppable Tsonga. Immovable Ferrer.
Courtesy:- www.rolandgarros.com