Valencia Open 2014: Daily Scores, Results and Draw Schedule
The 2014 Valencia Open 500 is one of just three tournaments standing between fans and the ATP World Tour Finals in London, and with three tickets still available for the marquee event at the O2 Arena, every single match will count for a handful of hopefuls.
Andy Murray entered the top eight thanks to his win in Vienna, but his lead over Spain's David Ferrer is just over 100 points. Both will play in Valencia, and as Murray told atpworldtour.com, that's exactly the problem.
"The next few weeks are extremely important. Everyone is playing next week. I just need to win as many matches as possible to keep hold of the eighth spot [in the Emirates ATP Race To London] or go higher."
Tomas Berdych suffered a shock loss to Pablo Andujar in the second round, a nightmare scenario with an eye on the Race to London. Murray and Ferrer took the opportunity to gain on the Czech, and will now meet in Saturday's first semi-final.
Spanish players have dominated the event since it moved to Valencia in 2003, giving the advantage to Ferrer, but Murray beat the top seed in the final in Vienna on a similarly slow court.
Schedule
1 of 8
Seeding
1. David Ferrer (ESP)
2. Tomas Berdych (CZE)
3. Andy Murray (GBR)
4. Feliciano Lopez (ESP)
5. John Isner (USA)
6. Roberto Bautista Agut (ESP)
7. Kevin Anderson (RSA)
8. Gilles Simon (FRA)
All seedings courtesy of atpworldtour.com.
For the full Valencia Open 500 schedule, click here.
The Race To London rankings can be found here.
Oct, 26: Andy Murray Saves 5 Match Points to Beat Tommy Robredo
2 of 8
Men's Singles Final
[3] Andy Murray defeats Tommy Robredo : 3-6, 7-6 (9-7), 7-6 (10-8)
Andy Murray celebrated the 31st ATP Tour triumph of his career at the Valencia Open on Sunday, beating Tommy Robredo in a three-set thriller 3-6, 7-6 (9-7), 7-6 (10-8) after over three hours of play.
The match was the longest of any ATP final in 2014, with both players exhausted after five weeks of consecutive tournament play.
Robredo, 32, missed opportunities to claim the match in just two sets, with Murray managing to summon incredible reserves of energy to stay in the match even when seemingly staring defeat in the face.
His opponent, so clinical in converting all four of his break points on the Murray serve, could not find that extra moment of quality required to haul himself across the line.
The match finished with a light-hearted moment between the two following Murray completing his success, with Robredo giving the Scot two middle-fingered salutes. The pair had met in Shenzhen just four weeks ago, with the Spaniard also squandering five match-points on that occasion.
"Andy and Tommy Robredo after their 3h 20m final...beautiful to see. pic.twitter.com/dAErKB9q7s
— Andy Murray Fans (@AndyMurrayFans) October 26, 2014"
Twice Robredo had appeared to be on top in tie-breaks on this occasion, in both the second and third sets of the encounter. Both times, though, Murray was able to produce a run of points to haul himself back into the breaker and take the set. For his opponent, who had played so well, it was heartbreaking.
Both players showed their excellence from the back of the court, trading winners throughout. Murray hit 45 on the day to Robredo's 39, with the momentum of the match swinging back and forwards as both battled fatigue on the day.
The hard-fought win takes Murray to fifth in the Race to London standings ahead of the coming Paris Open, where he could be in action in as little as 48 hours. He now sits 30 points clear of sixth place hopeful Kei Nishikori of Japan, runner-up at the US Open earlier this year.
The good news for the Scot is that, following what will be a sixth back-to-back tournament, he will have a week's rest to look forward to ahead of the ATP Tour Finals in the O2 Arena next month.
While mathematically not entirely sure of his place at the finals yet, it would now seem very unlikely that he will miss out on participation at the end of year event.
*All statistics taken from ATP World Tour official website.
Oct. 25: Andy Murray into the Final
3 of 8
Men's Singles
[3] Andy Murray defeats [1] David Ferrer: 6-4, 7-5
Tommy Robredo defeats Jeremy Chardy: 7-6 (7), 7-6 (2)
Andy Murray and Tommy Robredo will clash in the final of the Valencia Open after both men produced excellent performances in their respective semi-finals.
The British no. 1 knows that a win here would be a major step towards securing his place at the ATP Tour finals, and during his semi-final clash with the top seed David Ferrer, he performed like a man who has plenty at stake. Murray has played a lot of tennis to give himself a chance of making the eight-man line-up in London, but the were minimal signs of fatigue against the Spaniard.
Murray started the match the better of the two and broker Ferrer on his very first service game. It gave the Brit some early impetus and he went on to win the first set comfortably. When the world no. 10 took a 3-0 lead and a double break early in the second set, the match looked as though it might be over pretty quickly.
Then, seemingly out of nothing, Ferrer suddenly found another level, and roared on by his home crowd, he began an exceptional second set fightback. Suddenly the set was level again at 4-4, with the world no. 5 flying and Murray struggling to contain him.
But with the scores locked at 5-5, Murray made a telling contribution, breaking the Spaniard to move 6-5 up. And although he staved off three break points from Ferrer in his next service game, the Brit held his nerve, held his serve and took the match.
If Murray wins the final it'll move him up into fifth position in the ATP rankings; the top nine will qualify for the London showpiece. After his clash with Ferrer, the 27-year-old claimed it's vital he beats more quality opponents before the finals role around, per atpworldtour.com:
"After the US Open I was aware that I would need to win a lot of matches to try to reach the Tour Finals.
So it was important for me to try and get as many matches as I can against the top players between now and the end of the year.
"
Robredo now stands between Murray and a guaranteed no. 5 ranking, and he looks as though he has the requisite attributes to cause problems for his final opponent after overcoming Jeremy Chardy in the last-four.
The Spanish veteran was roared on by the spectators in Valencia and although the 32-year-old won in straight sets, it was a match that could have really gone either way. Chardy will count himself unlucky to have lost out in two tie-breakers, but when it came to the clinch, it was the experienced Robredo that was a little more assured.
It's little wonder truth be told, for this win was Robredo's 500th tour win, per atpworldtour.com. He's one of only seven men to have achieved that landmark, joining illustrious names like Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. If he can make it win number 501 against Murray in the final, it'd probably be one of the finest victories of Robredo's distinguished career to date.
But with plenty at stake for the two-time slam winner, expect no quarter given from Murray, who looks close to rediscovering his very best form as the end of the season draws nearer.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Oct. 24: Andy Murray Shakes off Slow Start and Keeps Rolling
4 of 8
Men's Singles
[3] Andy Murray defeats [7] Kevin Anderson 6-7 (3), 6-4, 6-4
[1] David Ferrer defeats Tomasz Bellucci: 6-1, 6-2
Jeremy Cardy defeats Pablo Carreno Busta: 6-1, 6-2
Tommy Robredo defeats Pablo Andujar: 7-6, 6-4
Men's Doubles
Kevin Anderson and Jeremy Chardy defeat Pablo Carreno Busta and Guillermo Garcia-Lopez: 6-3, 6-4
"Andy Murray takes another step towards the @ATPWorldTour Finals beating Anderson 6-7(3), 6-4, 6-4 #BackTheBrits pic.twitter.com/sv5Q4z44Gg
— British Tennis (@BritishTennis) October 24, 2014"
It took almost three hours, but after dropping the first set, Andy Murray rallied to take the second and third frames from Kevin Anderson to move on to the semifinals of the Valencia Open. This wasn't the best performance from the 27-year-old Brit. He struggled mightily with his serve all match.
Murray was able to overcome an inconsistent service game that saw him stumble to seven double faults. He was only able to get in 48 percent of his first serves. This hiccup in his game allowed the determined South African to remain competitive against Murray throughout the match.
The loss of the opening set marked the first time Murray had dropped a frame in this tournament. He had previously dispatched Jurgen Melzer and Fabio Fognini in straight sets.
Murray will meet top seed David Ferrer in the semi-final, after the three-time champion comfortably took care of Brazil's Thomasz Bellucci. As shared by Tennis TV, event organisers had prepared a nice cake to celebrate the Spaniard's 600th career win on Friday:
Ferrer broke Bellucci's opening serve in both sets and added two more breaks, not surrendering his own serve even once. Winning 80 percent of his first-serve points, the Spaniard hardly broke a sweat ahead of the much-anticipated clash with Murray.
The two are ranked eighth and ninth in the Race to London, respectively, separated by little more than 100 points. The winner of Saturday's semi-final (and likely champion in Valencia) will position himself perfectly going into the final two tournaments ahead of the Finals in the O2 Arena, so the stakes are high.
Murray has a slight advantage in the current standings, but Ferrer's form looks impeccable ahead of Saturday's match.
Jeremy Chardy defeated Pablo Carreno Busta in less than an hour, dominating the Spaniard on his first serve to book his ticket to the semi-finals.
Oct. 23: Andy Murray Continues to Roll
5 of 8
Men's Singles
Thomaz Bellucci defeats Roberto Bautista-Agut: Walkover
[3] Andy Murray defeats Fabio Fognini: 6-2, 6-4
Pablo Andujar defeats Dusan Lajovic: 6-3, 6-2
Jeremy Chardy defeats Alexandr Dolgopolov: 3-6, 7-6(4), 7-5
[1] David Ferrer defeats Fernando Verdasco: 6-3, 6-2
Men's Doubles
Pablo Carrena Busta/Guillaermo Garcia-Lopez defeats Inigo Cervantes/Pere Riba: 7-6, 6-3
Leonardo Mayer/Joao Sousa defeats Fabio Fognini/Andreas Seppi: 7-5, 6-1
[4] Jean-Julien Rojer/Horia Tecau defeats Austin Krajicek/Nicholas Monroe: 6-3, 7-5
Results
For the second day in a row, Andy Murray has stolen the headlines at the 2014 Valencia Open with his elite performance against Fabio Fognini.
Fognini came into the matchup as the 19th-ranked tennis player in the world, but Murray made short work of the Italian, winning in straight sets, 6-2, 6-4. Using his powerful serve and his ability to dominate the baseline, Murray depicted the pace of the first set and held off a late charge from Fognini in the second.
Murray now goes on to play No. 7 seed Kevin Anderson in the quarter-finals.
One of the more underrated matchups of the day was the battle between Pablo Andujar and Dusan Lajovic. Neither man is considered one of the top players in men’s tennis, but both are tough challengers.
Unfortunately for Lajovic, Andujar played at an elite level all day and utterly dominated him during the 6-3, 6-2 victory. Andujar may be ranked 46th in the world, but he could be a serious threat in this tournament if he stays hot.
The day received a drab note after Thomaz Bellucci claimed his place in the quarter-finals with a walkover win, Roberto Bautista Agut having to retire after suffering from abdominal pain, per Sky Sports Tennis:
"Roberto Bautista Agut has withdrawn against Thomaz Bellucci due to abdominal pain #ValenciaOpen #SkyTennis
— Sky Sports Tennis (@SkySportsTennis) October 23, 2014"
Jeremy Chardy ensured that the first genuinely tense fixture of the day picked those tones back up, though. His victory over Ukraine's Alexandr Dolgopolov was the first and only three-set tie of the day's proceedings.
The Frenchman won just 36 percent of his second serves, per the official ATP World Tour website, during the first set to crumble at the first hurdle, but swiftly turned his stride around to triumph in the following two.
In the end, endurance proved to be key between these two, and Dolgopolov tired when sets two and three went to break points, saving just 43 percent in that regard while Chardy managed 67 percent.
Thursday's final victory went to Valencia favourite and native David Ferrer, who was given a far easier time against Fernando Verdasco than Andreas Seppi in the previous round.
Ferrer made light work of his Spanish compatriot, and while Verdasco dominated the ace count 5-1, the victor was more assured from the baseline.
Altogether, Verdasco could only win 25 percent of his return points as Ferrer's class came to the fore, and he'll hope match readiness can steer him past Bellucci in the next phase of the tournament.
Oct. 22: Andy Murray Gains ATP Finals Boost as Tomas Berdych Falters
6 of 8
Men's Singles
Pablo Andujar defeats Tomas Berdych [2]: 6-3, 6-2.
Andy Murray [3] defeats Jurgen Melzer: 6-3 , 6-3.
Thomaz Bellucci defeats Mikhail Youzhny: 7-5, 6-3.
[6] Roberto Bautistaagut defeats Santiago Giraldo: 6-4, 6-4
[1]David Ferrer defeats Andreas Seppi: 6-3, 7-5
Pablo Carrena Busta defeats [4] Feliciano Lopez: 6-4, 6-4
Tommy Robredo defeats Yen-Hsun Lu: 6-2, 6-4
Men's Doubles
Austin Krajicek [Q] & Nicholas Monroe defeat Eric Butorac & Raven Klaasen: 7-6(4), 6-3.
Kevin Anderson and Jeremy Chadry defeat [3] Fernando Verdasco and David Marrero: 6-2, 6-4
Fabio Fognini and Andreas Seppi defeat Treat Huey and Jurgen Melzer: 7-5, 6-7, 10-4
Pablo Carreno Busta and Guillermo Garcia-Lopez defeat John Isner and Jack Sock: 6-3, 6-3
Andy Murray confidently brushed Austrian journeyman Jurgen Melzer aside during his opening round match at the Valencia Open. The Scot is currently ranked eighth—the final spot en route to the ATP World Tour Finals—meaning he needs a stellar showing before he can dream of London.
Murray took little over 80 minutes to quash Melzer, who rarely showed signs of being able to muster victory, per the ATP's official match stats. Efficiency was key for Murray, who dropped just two first service points in the opening set.
He stroked the ball with precision and power, forcing the ageing legs of 33-year-old Melzer into a tiring battle against fatigue. Melzer held his own aside from key moments, where Murray was able to gain an advantage by calmly overworking his rival.
The No. 3 seed secured six of his 11 break points—enough to progress without exerting himself too heavily—while Melzer was only able to win three of eight. Murray looks to be gaining confidence after his victory in Vienna, perhaps an ominous sign for those looking to make an impact at this week's Spanish competition.
Pablo Andujar could be a dark horse after he defeated Tomas Berdych in convincing style. The local star made light work of the second seed, saving all three break points during an encounter which lasted 71 minutes, per ATP. This result will aid Murray's quest to make the ATP World Finals, especially if he can secure another title this week.
Elsewhere, outside hopeful Thomaz Bellucci scored a victory over Mikhail Youzhny to progress. The qualifier was rewarded for taking the fight to his more experienced opponent, dispatching him with a handy eight aces.
Top seed David Ferrer had little trouble taking care of Andreas Seppi in his first-round match, beating the Italian in straight sets. The Spaniard bossed his opponent in the return game, forcing four breaks.
Ferrer didn't look perfect, however, with 17 unforced errors and two double faults. He can't afford to make any mistakes in Valencia with a ticket to London on the line, and a second-round match against Fernando Verdasco will be anything but easy.
Murray faces Fabio Fognini in the next round, and while the Italian hardly broke a sweat in his first-round match, The Scot's path to the semi-final and a likely date with Ferrer remains clear.
Feliciano Lopez suffered a shock defeat at the hands of wild card Pablo Carrena Busta, losing in straight sets in just over an hour. Lopez struggled with his serve and both players put together a sloppy performance in general, but the 23-year-old wild card was able to limit his mistakes when it mattered, pulling off the upset.
Oct. 21: Host Nation Continues Its Dominance
7 of 8
Oct. 21 Results
Men's Singles
Fernando Verdasco defeats Leonardo Mayer: 6-4, 3-6, 6-3
Alexandr Dolgopolov defeats [8] Gilles Simon: 6-0, 6-3
Jeremy Chardy defeats Malek Jaziri: 6-2, 6-1
[4] Feliciano Lopez defeats Norbert Gombos: 6-4, 6-4
Rommy Robredo defeats [5] John Inser: 7-6, 6-3
Dusan Lajovic defeats Joao Sousa: 6-3, 7-6
[7] Kevin Anderson defeats Philipp Kohlschreiber: 6-3, 6-4
Fabio Fognini defeats Albert Ramos-Vinolas: 6-4, 6-2
Men's Doubles
Inigo Cervantes and Pere Riba defeat Juan Sebastian Chabal and Robert Farah: 7-6, 7-5
[4] Jean-Julien Rojer and Horia Tecau defeat Santiago Giraldo and Oliver Marach: 6-4, 6-4
Spanish players have won the Valencia Open 500 in eight of the past 11 editions, and on Tuesday, the hosts once again took care of business. Fernando Verdasco, Feliciano Lopez and Tommy Robredo all won their first-round matches, with the latter knocking out one of the top seeds in the process in the form of John Isner.
The big-serving American had a nightmare outing in the return game, winning just eight percent of his points on the first return. While he broke Robredo's serve five times, he gave the Spaniard the same amount of break chances and failed to save a single one of them.
For 80 minutes, the duo served up a spectacular back-and-forth affair, but throughout it all, a win for Robredo felt inevitable. Interestingly enough, he also defeated Isner on Monday in the Longest Serve competition, via the ATP World Tour's official website.
Isner was one of two top seeds eliminated on Tuesday, as France's Gilles Simon lost to Alexandr Dolgopolov in straight sets. The Ukrainian overpowered Simon with 10 aces and played an aggressive match, forcing an impressive 14 break chances and winning nine.
Fernando Verdasco needed three sets to get past Leonardo Mayer, as the duo gave the fans perhaps the best match of the tournament so far. Verdasco and Mayer came away with virtually identical statistics, the Argentine actually winning more points in their match, 89 to 87.
The Spaniard made the difference on his second serve, however, and was aided by Mayer's four double faults.
Feliciano Lopez, the highest seeded player in action on Tuesday, took down qualifier Norbert Gombos in straight sets with a solid performance in the return game. Winning 88 percent of his own first serves, he limited Gombos to just 69 percent and forced three breaks, not giving up a single of his own.
Top seeds Andy Murray, Tomas Berdych and David Ferrer will finally take to the court on Wednesday, with the Czech in particular facing a tricky challenge from Pablo Andujar.
Berdych currently sits seventh in the Race to London, with Murray and Ferrer breathing down his neck. He knows what's at stake, as he told atpworldtour.com:
"We are still all in the same train and moving forward to London. Some of us will stay just as close. I’m trying to play well and that’s the best feeling. The battle is on and we’re going to fight for it to the end of the year. I just need to be ready and prepared and go for it again.
"
He would avoid a meeting with Murray or Ferrer until the final if all three run the table, giving the Czech the perfect opportunity to put some distance between himself and at least one of his direct competitors.
Oct. 20: Stefan Kozlov Impresses in Debut Despite Loss
8 of 8
Oct. 20 Results
Men's Singles
Martin Klizan defeats Stefan Kozlov: 6-3, 6-3
Pablo Carreno Busta defeats Marcel Granollers: 6-2, 3-1
Yen-Hsun Lu defeats Guillermo Garcia Lopez: 6-2, 6-3
Men's Doubles
Leonardo Meyer and Joao Sousa defeat [1] Alexander Peya and Bruno Soares: 3-6; 6-1, 10-7
Kevin Anderson and Jeremy Chardy defeat Feliciano Lopez and Max Myrni: 6-4, 7-6
[3] David Marrero and Fernando Verdasco defeat Pablo Andujar and Daniel Gimeno-Traver: 6-4, 6-4
Stefan Kozlov lost but left a big impression in his ATP World Tour 500-Series debut, as the 16-year-old more than held his own against Martin Klizan.
The American teenager, who is widely regarded as a future superstar of the sport, traveled to Valencia on the back of a phenomenal run in Sacramento, making it all the way to the final.
He had no such success in Spain, losing in straight sets to the far more experienced Klizan. Kozlov gave his opponent far too many break chances as he struggled to contain the Slovenian's return game, conceding seven breaks in total.
His resilience on Klizan's serve was admirable, but in crunch time, it was the 25-year-old who showed what years of top level experience will do.
Kozlov sounded very confident coming into the match, although he understood he was in for a challenge, as he told the ATP's Josh Meiseles:
"I’m serving better. Every aspect of my game is better. I’m staying in matches more, competing at a high level. I can’t really point to one thing. I think my forehand is my biggest weapon. I don’t have many weaknesses and that’s also a weapon.
[...]Valencia is obviously going to be tough. It’s one of the best tournaments in the world. I’ll go into it match-by-match and see what happens. Hopefully my game comes out there. For the rest of the year, I’ll play some Futures and Challengers and see where it takes me.
"
Marcel Granollers was forced to abandon his match against wild card Pablo Carreno Busta after he appeared to tweak a muscle. Granollers was in obvious pain for much of the match and could hardly serve, connecting on just 32 percent of his first-serve attempts.
This gave his opponent an opportunity to step into his returns, keeping the 28-year-old moving. Granollers tried to continue for as long as he could, but down 3-1 in the second set, his situation became hopeless and he threw in the towel.
John Isner and Joao Sousa will be the first top seeds to start their tournament on Tuesday, while Andy Murray, Tomas Berdych and David Ferrer will have to wait a little longer.
The draw means Murray will likely have to go through the Spaniard in the semi-final before meeting the Czech in the final, and with an eye on London, the Scot can't afford to drop any matches in Valencia.
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