Defending champion David Ferrer was made to work hard for a
spot in the semifinals of the Heineken Open in Auckland by
Alejandro Falla, eventually beating the Colombian 6-4 4-6 6-3
to set up a date this afternoon with fellow Spaniard Fernando
Verdasco.
Ferrer was a break down in the third set against the tricky
left-hander but rallied to win the last five games.
The match was due to be played last night but persistent rain
meant it was held over until this morning. It meant Ferrer
was pushed onto an outside court, a highly unusual venue for
the top seed and defending champion in normal circumstances,
in an effort to get the tournament back on schedule.
Verdasco's path to the semifinals was more straightforward,
with the third seed dispatching fellow Spaniard Guillermo
Garcia-Lopez 7-5 6-4.
Verdasco led Garcia-Lopez 3-1 last night when rain stopped
play.
Philipp Kohlschreiber and Olivier Rochus will meet in today's
first semifinal, with Ferrer and Verdasco meeting at the
conclusion of that match.
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