Feliciano Lopez expected a battle in today’s Malaysian Open final and he got one. Despite it having been a difficult summer for Ferrer with an elbow injury his season is proving to be once again extremely consistent. He hasn’t made the headlines or created much noise on tour but the fact is his win-loss record for the season is 44-10 and with today’s win he now has four titles to his name this season.
Another feat for the tireless Spaniard this week was that he was appearing in his fiftieth ATP final, a figure that only Federer, Nadal, Djokovic and Murray have reached of the current crop of players. Not bad company. That’s 25 carreer titles now and in the short run another step towards the ATP World Finals.
The match itself was a beautiful contrast in playing styles between the serve and volley of Lopez and the solid baseline play of Ferrer. Lopez struck first in the first set, breaking Ferrer’s serve at 3-3 but when he’d done the hard part his main asset let him down and Ferrer got himself right back in the match by breaking back immediately. Ferrer then played a sublime game on Lopez’s serve at 6-5, proving why he’s one of the best returners and toughest customers on tour, and rounded off the set at 7-5.
Lopez’s shots were finding no way through Ferrer who found a way to track down every ball and send it back with even more venom. Ferrer had numerous break chances in Lopez’s service game but once again it was at 6-5 when he struck and closed out the match at 7-5, 7-5.
For many years people have been waiting for Ferrer’s form to dip but at 33 he’s still right up there looking to fight amongst the very best. Let’s not forget that 11 of his titles have come after the age of 30, proving that age is just a number.
“I feel very happy because I’ve never played so well in this tournament and this week I played my best match in the final. My sensations after the elbow injury are very good”, said Ferrer after the final and then added, “we had two Spanish players in the final which is very difficult to repeat and I hope the fans enjoyed both mine and Feliciano’s week”.
David Ferrer now flies to Beijing where he will meet Thomaz Bellucci in the first round as he looks to inch even closer to the World Tour Finals. As for Lopez, he will be playing in Tokyo where he squares off against Joao Sousa in the first round.
