Verdasco Races Through; Robredo, Fish Upset In Openers

© Getty ImagesFernando Verdasco captured his third career ATP World Tour title, the first in 2009.

ATP World Tour No. 10 Fernando Verdasco took full advantage of his wild card as he raced through his opening-round match at Pilot Pen Tennis in just 49 minutes Tuesday with a 6-0, 6-3 victory over Chile’s Paul Capdeville at the ATP World Tour 250 tennis tournament in New Haven.

The Spaniard bounced back from a surprise first-round loss to countryman Guillermo Garcia-Lopez at last week’s Western & Southern Financial Group Masters by breaking serve five times from 11 opportunities and surrendering just three points behind his first serve. His only slip came as he served for the match at 5-2 and was broken, but the mistake was quickly rectified as he eased to victory in the pair’s first meeting since the 2005 US Open, when Verdasco also prevailed in straight sets.

The 25-year-old Verdasco reached the quarter-finals or better in his first eight tournaments of the season, including a semi-final showing at the Australian Open (l. to Nadal), but has struggled to re-capture that form in recent weeks on the North American hard courts. The left-hander will hope for an upturn in fortunes at an event where he has been successful in the past, including a semi-final effort last year (l. to Fish).

His countryman, No. 3 seed Tommy Robredo, suffered a reverse fate in his opening match as he succumbed to Argentine Jose Acasuso 3-6, 7-5, 7-6(5) in two hours and 26 minutes. It was Robredo's third opening loss in four tournaments during the 2009 US Open Series, with his only win coming at the Rogers Cup when he defeated 147th-ranked Alex Bogomolov Jr. in the first round.

Acasuso, who improved to a 17-16 season mark, levelled the lifetime series against Robredo at 5-all in their fifth meeting on the ATP World Tour this year. The two players had clashed in all four stops of the Latin American clay-court swing, winning two matches each.

The Argentine will next challenge 14th-seeded Russian Igor Kunitsyn, who halted American Taylor Dent’s progress as he saved six break points to defeat the wild card 6-3, 6-4 in 82 minutes. The No. 42-ranked Kunitsyn defeated James Blake in the first round at ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Cincinnati last week.

American wild card Rajeev Ram also posted an upset Tuesday, defeating fifth-seeded countryman and two-time New Haven finalist Mardy Fish 6-3, 6-3 in 72 minutes. Ram converted three of his five break point chances while saving the five he faced on serve to put an early end to Fish's hopes of reaching his third straight Pilot Pen Tennis final.

Ram had won his first ATP World Tour title earlier this summer at the grass-court tournament in Newport, stepping up as a lucky loser in the singles draw after top seed Fish had been called upon for Davis Cup duty. He also won the doubles title at the event alongside Australian Jordan Kerr.

The Indiana resident will face Florent Serra for a place in the quarter-finals after the Frenchman ousted 10th-seeded compatriot Jeremy Chardy 6-7(8), 7-6(4), 6-1.

In doubles, No. 2 seeds Bruno Soares and Kevin Ullyett advanced with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Eric Butorac and Jeff Coetzee. Meanwhile, Austrians Julian Knowle and Jurgen Melzer defeated Oliver Marach and David Skoch 6-3, 6-4.