Shanghai Day 5: Viva Espana!

Ferocious Ferrer
With the fierce forehand. What more can I say? I've run out of superlatives to describe his play at this event. David Ferrer absolutely annihilated Richard Gasquet 6-1, 6-1 to lead the Spanish Armada into the semifinals of 2007 Tennis Masters Cup Shanghai.

After opening the match nervously and dropping serve, he reeled off the next 8 games, holding Gasquet to just three points on the Frenchman's own serve. After the first set, Gasquet had only won a single point on serve. Looping backhands crosscourt from 15 feet behind the baseline didn't help the Frenchman's cause.

David rifled forehand after forehand into the corners, on the lines, from every part of the court and left Richie looking as though he was being bombed from above.

Or, to put it as commentator Jason Goodall put it, "Ferrer has reached match point and they haven't been on the court for an hour. Gasquet must've felt it was an eternity, the majority of which was spent in purgatory."

Nuff said.

Raging Rafa
With the knifing scowl. He knew he would have to win as efficiently as possible just in case Gasquet had more to offer than he did. So Rafael Nadal's 6-4, 6-4 drubbing of Novak Djokovic brought a smile of relief to the Spaniard's face and he will indeed advance to the semis to await the player who finishes first in the Red Group.

Rafa faced out to a 4-0 lead, just as he did against his compatriot in their second match, only to lose one of the breaks, just as he did against his compatriot, but held on to win the first set 6-4, just as he did...

In the middile of the second set, Djoke found some energy and tried to earn back the early break he surrendered in the third game. But Rafa was having none of it. Despite some passive play here and there, he hit enough of his own great forehand to get the victory in straights.

Mary Jo Fernandez gave us a courtside report of her conversation with Djoke's coach before the match. I wasn't at all liking the notion that his camp said he would play the match "like an exhibition."

That's not how he played it either.

Djoke went on record after the USO that he was going to chase Rafa for the No. 2 year-end ranking, so he had to play all the events he entered.

There is far too much media manipulation by his camp. Everyone bought the announcement, it made headlines, tennis forums even posted polls about who would end the year in the second spot.

If you announce you're going to chase a player and then use fatigue as an excuse why you can't catch them, it comes across as low-brow. And I've had my wisdom teeth extracted. It wasn't emergency surgery. There really was no reason Djoke couldn't have waited a few more weeks to have oral surgery, if he had oral surgery at all.

Djoke played this match as though he wanted to win it, to keep Rafa from making the semifinals with the chance of gaining more ranking points, to salvage, perhaps, some pride. But he couldn't do it.

(I told y'all I wouldn't be shocked if he lost all his matches.)

Imagine my surprise (uh huh) when Cliffy and PMac announced him as a favorite to win the Australian Open.

Mary Jo thinks Rafa will be highly motivated in Melbourne. I have a sneaking suspicion another David will be primed for battle Down Under as well.

But before we get into alla that (don't we tennisheads just love jumping the gun?), a Masters Cup championship is at stake and David and Rafa just gave Spain a good chance to have at least a runner-up. Could they make it an all-Spanish final?

Stay tuned.

Meantime, check out Savannah's Mid Week Stress Break.