Fernando Verdasco stunned the ersthwhile favorite and fourth seed Andy Murray in a five-set thriller at the 4th Round of the 2009 Australian Open.

I am surprised at the result as I had not considered him a threat to any of the big four. My prediction for the Australian Open men’s final will no longer be possible. The Scot is out and some even labeled him as a grand slam pretender.


Now who is Fernando Verdasco? The 25-year old is one of Spain’s top players, Rafa’s compatriot. He played tennis at age four and turned professional in 2001. He can play well in all surfaces. This is what Wikipedia says about his style of play:

Fernando is an offensive baseliner who is comfortable on all surfaces, hard courts being his best (especially indoors). Many players, including Andy Roddick, consider Verdasco to have one of the best forehands on tour. His serve is characteristic of a left-handed player predominantly using slice to create a lot of swing. He is known for rivaling compatriot Rafael Nadal with the amount of top spin he can put on a ball. Fernando is sometimes known for his brief inconsistency during play, especially when closing out sets and matches.

In Murray’s twitter message after the battle, this is what he said. “…Tuf 2day. Fernando playd gr8…”.

Fernando could be another revelation just like Jo Wilfried Tsonga in 2008. He recently played in the finals of Brisbane International, losing to Radek Stephanek. He exacted revenge on Stephanek in the second round here in the Australian Open. He’ll face Tsonga, the last year’s runner-up, in the quarterfinals. After that, the winner will face Nadal or Simon.

I don’t care much whoever wins in Nadal’s side of the draw. But I hope it could be Tsonga or Fernando Verdasco. Nah, anybody but Rafa! Go, Fernando!

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