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Tired Ferrer chasing a spot in London, Verdasco fighting to be seeded in Australia

Seppi took the 5-2 lead in the second set of his match with Ferrer, but couldn't keep it up. Ferrer is still trying to qualify for London and motivation is no problem, but fatigue is...a big one. Verdasco beat Mayer, who's never been doing better, to keep his chances of reaching Top 30 up

There are officially three more spots up for grabs at the ATP Finals in London. Ferrer is currently holding position nine, but it should be enough since Nadal won't be in London. Ferrer does, however, have the toughest schedule and is defending the final here, just like in Paris next week. All the top players will be in Paris. Murray beat Ferrer to claim the title in Vienna last week after being down 5-3 in the decider. We might be in for another Murray-Ferrer match here since the draw decided they will meet in the semi final.

Ferrer is tired but can't afford to rest. He had two days off, a first round bye and the easiest opponents in the opening match. There are players worse than Seppi, of course, but Ferrer's head-to-head record with the Italian could not have been more perfect (11-0, with only one set lost). The physiological advantage was well on his side.

Both opponents won a break early in the set, but top seed Ferrer won the opener. Seppi was much more relaxed in the second set, which got him in a 5-2 lead. Ferrer responded in time, hitting high shots and forcing Seppi into unforced errors. The tactics proved successful as he went on to win the following five games to advance to the next round. 

- It's always nice to be back in Valencia, I want to win the title, my attempts to get to London aside. It was tough against Seppi. I was a bit tired in the second set, but I was lucky to get back to 5-5 and win in straight sets - Ferrrer said and added:

- Playing Verdasco is tough. He's unpredictable, his shots are great and he's hard to stop when on a roll.

Verdasco is motivated to do well here despite not having any points to defend. He's only a few positions short of reaching a spot that would make him one of the seeds in Australia and that's always important in avoiding the meetings with other seeds in the first two rounds. A good result here would get him back in the Top 30 but the top seed Ferrer is here to try and stop him.

It may not seem so, but Mayer was a very tough player to meet in the opening match. He's never been doing better and the 25th position in the ATP table only goes to prove it. The left-handed Spaniard was better in the opening of the match, forcing Mayer to save some break-points in the opening service-games. He failed to stop Verdasco to win the first set anyway, but Verdasco then went on to lose focus which cost him the second set. The decider was very close, with both players winning their service games until the 8th game when Verdasco used his first break point in the third set. He then saved one when serving for the match and used his third match point to advance to the next round.

It was tough, but that was to be expected. Mayer has never been doing better, he's bursting with confidence. His services were almost always faster than 200km/h, and he pretty much took control of the second set. But I took initiative at key moments - Verdasco said.

Verdasco and Ferrer, both being Spanish, know each other very well. It's not surprising since they both play at ATP level the last 14 years. Ferrer's head-to-head record is better (9-7) with the last match ending as Verdasco retired. Verdasco lost the previous five head-to-head matches, but should stand a chance today regardless of it. Ferrer is motivated but very tired as well.

Ferrer said he's tired but needs to keep pushing to secure a spot in London. He's defending the final here and the one in Paris next week as well. He can't afford to take a break though he really needs one. Seppi was a perfect opponent at the start here, having lost to Ferrer in all of their 11 head-to-head matches. He didn't take initiative which was not surprising since he's been playing non-stop. He had trouble moving especially after last week's final in Vienna. His opponent Verdasco love matches such as this one - he's got nothing to lose, he's motivated and capable of winning a set against anyone. Ferrer might get through, he's good at close wins,but I think this is the end for him. Verdasco should be able to get a set here and take advantage of Ferrer's fatigue.