Verdasco's Bubbly Celebration.(AP)
Although some may have viewed this weekend as a quiet one in the tennis world as some of the WTA ladies played in Federation Cup while most of the men traveled to Rome to start play in the the Italian Open, events occurring in Barcelona and Belgium today could have an impact all the way to Paris a month from now. That, and an unexpected announcement from tennis hottie Feliciano Lopez, made this weekend one to remember.
Verdasco Wins Barcelona Over Soderling.
Fernando Verdasco continued his fine form on clay and earned the biggest title of his career with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 win over Robin Soderling in the finals of the Barcelona Open BancSabadell. Verdasco displayed great mobility on court and, despite a second set charge by the Swede, never really looked in any danger the whole match. After being smoked by Rafael Nadal in Monte Carlo last weekend, many thought Verdasco would have a let down in Barcelona which he only decided to play in at the last minute. But with this win, Verdasco proved he’s a darkhorse contender for Roland Gaross later in May.
Belgium Survives in Federation Cup After Injury Scares.
What on paper looked like a sure thing almost ended up being one of the biggest upsets in Federation Cup history when Belgium, packed with superstars Justine Henin and Kim Clijsters, took on Estonia this weekend. Before the tie even began, Justine Henin broke her left pinky in practice. The injury streak continued when Kim Clijsters felt pain in her foot after her singles win over Maret Ani. An MRI afterwards revealed Clijsters had torn a foot muscle which may require six weeks to heal.
Despite Henin losing to Kaia Kanepi 6-7(6), 6-4, 6-3, it was Yanina Wickmayer who saved the day for Belgium by winning both her singles matches which was enough to hold off Estonia 3-2 after Estonia won the doubles match. Although Clijsters said afterwards that she heals quickly, some have wondered if she will even make it to the French Open. Henin, meanwhile, is still scheduled to play in Stuttgart starting on Monday.
Lopez Poses for Spanish Elle.
And finally, congratulations are in order, I guess, to Feliciano Lopez who recently learned he will become a father. However those fans who still lust after the Spanish heartthrob can take some comfort in the fact the woman having Lopez’s baby is his ex-girlfriend María José Suárez, a former beauty queen, with whom Lopez has been dating off and on again for years. The news came as a surprise to Lopez who apparently first learned of it, not from Suárez herself, but from Barcelona journalists who asked Lopez during the tournament as they had just heard the news from Suárez. The Spanish press has called their relationship a “crisis” but as we who follow TMZ.com know, any relationship crisis usually ends up being a publicity boost for those involved. So until the details are sorted out, women around the world can take heart that Lopez is still on the market, for now.
To read more about the “crisis” go to this Spanish newspaper.
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