Moya, Gaudio Upset in Brazil; Ferrero Celebrates 27th
© Joao Pires
Two former Roland Garros champions, fourth seed Carlos Moya and fifth seed Gaston Gaudio, bowed out in opening round action Monday at the Brasil Open.

Moya failed to convert on match point in the second set as Brazilian Thiago Alves came back to clinch the 2-6, 7-5, 6-3 victory while Gaudio fell to Italian Potito Starace 6-4, 6-3.

Moya served for the victory at 6-2, 5-4 but allowed the set to slip away as the 24-year-old Alves saved match point and proceeded to win the final three games of the set.

In the third set, Moya recovered a break to get the match back on serve at 4-3, but Alves held the Spaniard off the board the remainder of the way. He converted on his first match point to seal the victory in two hours.

Since beginning the year by reaching the Chennai semifinals (l. to Koubek) and the Sydney final (l. to Blake), Moya has suffered two opening round exits. Alves, meanwhile, picked up his first win of 2007.

Starace also earned his first ATP victory of the season, converting on four of six break chances in his first round match against Gaudio. The 25-year-old, currently No. 85 in the ATP Rankings, advanced to the second round last year in Costa do Sauipe.

Gaudio has yet to win a match in his four tournament appearances this season. The Argentine's last match win dates back to September, when he defeated American teenager Sam Querrey in the second round at the US Open.

Spaniard Alberto Martin also suffered an early exit with a 6-4, 6-2 loss to sixth-seeded Argentine Juan Ignacio Chela. Martin, who was making his third consecutive appearance at the Brasil Open, had reached the tournament final each of the last two years. He lost to compatriot Rafael Nadal in 2005 and to Chilean Nicolas Massu in 2006.

Meanwhile, Spaniard Juan Carlos Ferrero (pictured), the 2003 Roland Garros champion, celebrated his 27th birthday Monday. Tournament Director Fernando Von Oertzen and ATP CEO Americas Mark Young presented the former World No.1 with a cake and joined Brazilians fans in a rendition of "Happy Birthday."

Ferrero plays his first match Tuesday against Argentine Sergio Roitman.

On which site did you read this article??

I saw it on the ATP site

In the Brasil Open site there is also a picture and a video of Juan's birthday.
The link for the pic:
Picture
And for the video go here: Brasil Open
And click on the last video.

Yes is from atp website! :D Hope he had a good time and now is time to play - not now because is raining in Brasil but when he will play - Good luck Ferero!

OMG he just beat Roitman 64 64!!!!!!!!! :D

yay! go JC!

and Happy Valentine's Day to all.

Top seed Juan Carlos Ferrero, who celebrated his 27th birthday on Monday, made a successful start on Wednesday as he defeated Sergio Roitman 6-4, 6-4. Ferrero broke the Argentine three times and only lost his serve once in the one hour and 34 minute match. The Spaniard will play Frenchman Nicolas Devilder in the second round. Ferrero lost in the first round in Costa do Sauipe last year.

order of play for today! :D


http://www.atptennis.com/en/common/TrackIt.asp?file=http://www.atptennis.com/posting/2007/533/op.pdf

Yes he's in the quarterfinals!!!!!!!! :D

yes he is and I love the picture of him on the site form Brasil Open! Great job Juan let's continue like this! :D

whoo! good job JC :D

Order of play!

Sexta-feira
Horários de Salvador (+1h de Brasília, +3h GMT)

Quadra Central – 11h00
Juan Monaco (ARG) vs. Thiago Alves (BRA)
Não antes das 14h30
Juan Carlos Ferrero (ESP) vs. Potito Starace (ITA)
Nicolas Almagro (ESP) vs. Flávio Saretta (BRA)
Não antes das 18h00
Chela ou Hidalgo vs. Monaco ou Alves
Nicolas Almagro (ESP)/Marcel Granollers-Pujol (ESP) vs. Lukas Dlouhy (TCH)/Pavel Vizner (TCH) ou Marcelo Melo (BRA)/ André Sá (BRA)

Quadra 1 – 15h30
Guilermo Cañas (ARG) vence Albert Portas (ESP), 6/4 1/0 - continuação
Marcelo Melo (BRA)/André Sá (BRA) vs. Lukas Dlouhy (TCH)/ Pavel Vizner (TCH)
Não antes das 18h00
Agustin Calleri (ARG) vs. Portas ou Cañas
Potito Starace (ITA)/Fernando Vicente (ESP) vs. Agustin Calleri (ARG)/Juan Monaco (ARG)

Quadra 2 – 11h00
Juan Ignacio Chela (ARG) vs. Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo (ESP)
TBA
Alberto Martin (ESP)/Albert Portas (ESP) vs. Albert Montañes (ESP)/Ruben Ramirez-Hidalgo (ESP)

Gooooooooo Ferrero! :D

He's in the semis vamos!!!!!!!!!! :D

yay! c'mon JC..whoo!

Ferrero First into Brasil Open Final

Guillermo CanasFormer World No. 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero, seeking his first ATP title in more than three seasons, advanced to the Brasil Open final by defeating Flavio Saretta 6-2, 6-4 on Saturday.

Ferrero won the last of his 11 ATP titles on home soil at the Madrid Masters in 2003. Since then he has lost the four finals he has contested: Rotterdam (2004), Barcelona and Vienna (2005), and the Cincinnati Masters (2006).

Earlier Saturday Ferrero won his rain-delayed quarterfinal against Potito Starace 5-7, 6-2, 6-2. In that match Ferrero capitalized on a strong serving performance. He put 75 per cent of first serves into play and won more than 70 per cent of points on both his first and second serves.

AHH!! yay, he's in the final! good job JC..whoo! :D

Ferrero alcanza la final del Abierto de Brasil

AGENCIAS
SALVADOR DE BAHÍA (BRASIL).- El ex número uno del tenis Juan Carlos Ferrero se clasificó para la final del Abierto de Brasil al derrotar sin mayores complicaciones al brasileño Flávio Saretta. El español ofreció un rico repertorio técnico y definió con frialdad cuando el brasileño intentó sacar provecho de la presión del público.

La disputa estuvo equilibrada hasta cuando el partido se trababa en un 2-2, pero el brasileño desperdició dos oportunidades para abrir ventaja, y Ferrero no perdonó. Para complicar las cosas, el cansancio pasó la factura a Saretta, quien horas antes había superado al español Nicolás Almagro en la fase de cuartos de final.

En la final del torneo más importante de Brasil, Ferrero medirá fuerzas con el ganador del mano a mano entre los argentinos Juan Ignácio Chela y Guillermo Cañas. Contra Cañas, ganó el único partido que disputó. Con Chela está invicto las tres veces que jugaron.

Gullermo Cañas se metió en semifinales tras vencer a su compatriota Agustín Calleri por 7-6 (7-3) y 6-1. Cañas, quien regresó al circuito en septiembre tras cumplir una suspensión por doping.

Su desempeño en el Abierto de Brasil, aun si pierde la semifinal, le garantizará al ex número ocho del ranking de la Asociación de Tenistas Profesionales (ATP) su retorno a la lista de los 100 mejores del mundo, gracias a los 75 puntos que ya ganó con su participación en la semifinal del torneo.

and today a great final! :D

Não antes de 15h00
Juan Carlos Ferrero (ESP) vs. Guillermo Cañas (ARG)