Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga was denied a place in the semi-finals of the Barcelona Open as the third seed lost on Friday to Dutchman Thiemo de Bakker 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 in a two-hour struggle.
Tsonga, bidding for the first clay title of his career, was unable to continue his reversal of momentum after coming back to win the second set. The seed lost a third-set break, but got it back for 2-3, only to drop serve again against the former world junior champion who claimed his first top 10 scalp.
De Bakker will play against second seed Robin Soderling, who quietly dispatched Argentine Eduardo Schwank 6-2, 6-3.
“So far, so good this week,” Soderling said. “It was tricky today with different conditions. It was quite cold and the balls are heavy, but overall I played a good match. I served well, managing to win quite a few easy points on my first serve.”
Spaniards have earned a popular confrontation at the top of the draw at the Real Club de Tenis in the absence of the resting Rafael Nadal.
Two-time runner-up David Ferrer moved to within one win of his third straight final in the Catalan capital, dispatching Brazil’s Thomaz Bellucci 6-4, 6-0 in their quarter-final.
Standing in his way will be last week’s fifth-seeded Monte Carlo finalist Fernando Verdasco, who booked his spot with a 6-2, 7-6 (7/4) win over Latvian Ernests Gulbis.
“David is a top player, especially on clay,” Verdasco said.
“It will be good to have a Spanish semi-final and at least one of us will reach the final,” he said.
Eighth seed Ferrer played a match of two parts, struggling for an hour to win the opening set, but mopping up in the second with three breaks of promising South American Bellucci, ranked 33rd and a clay title winner two months ago in Chile.
Ferrer will be playing in his fourth consecutive semi-final at the Real Club de Tenis — he has lost the last two finals to Rafael Nadal — when he faces his countryman.
“I prefer playing Fernando because he’s Spanish, though he’s beaten me four of our last five matches,” Ferrer said. “When I was little, I came with my parents and I have dreamed many times of winning it. Playing at home makes you play more motivated.”
Verdasco took two hours to get past world No. 101 Gulbis, who had not lost a set through the week, but the Spaniard had to save six break-points in the 11th game of the second set on the way to victory.
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