Fernando Verdasco handed Richard a tough defeat, beating him 6-3 6-2.
In the first set, Verdasco was simply unplayable. The stats showed five UEs for the set, but my count gave only 2. Whenever Richard did not serve well enough, it was game Verdasco. In the second set, however, Verdasco's level declined and Richard took control immediately to lead
2-1 with a break. Three double fauts brought Verdasco back and then it was game over for Richard who is still in the doubles tournament, after defeating nr 2 seeds Nestor/Zimonjic yesterday at the side of Stan Wawrinka.
