Vedasco has better luck this week as he wins his 2nd title of the year.

Fernando Verdasco claimed his second title this year with victory over Robin Soderling in the final of the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell this afternoon.

The fifth seed from Madrid saw off the second-seeded Swede 6-3 4-6 6-3 to ensure there would be a Spanish winner at this event for the eighth straight year.

Verdasco headed into this tournament on the back of a thumping defeat to Rafael Nadal in the final of the Monte Carlo Masters last Sunday.

The 26-year-old won only one game against his fellow Spaniard Nadal, victor in the Catalan capital in each of the last five years, but responded well this week as he looked to add to the title he picked up in San Jose in February.

Verdasco broke his Swedish opponent in consecutive service games en route to the first set this afternoon but the 2009 French Open finalist hit back to take the second set.

The Spaniard broke Soderling again in the fourth game of the decider, however, and served out to clinch the title.

Verdasco v. Soderling in the Barcelona final tomorrow.

Robin Soderling of Sweden will play home favourite Fernando Verdasco in Sunday’s final of the Barcelona Open BancSabadell after brushing aside the challenge of Thiemo de Bakker with a crushing 61 64 defeat to advance to his second ATP World Tour final of the season. Between them the pair had served over fifty aces between during the tournament, though neither posted particularly good service stats on Saturday, with just seven aces in total.

With De Bakker’s main weapon neutralised, the 21-year old struggled to find his rhythm, losing ten of the first eleven games before earning his first break of the world #7’s serve with a series of stunning winners. Södering was forced to raise his game to prevent a comeback, slamming down two aces to save a break point before sealing the second set 6-4.

Fernando Verdasco fought back from a set and a break down against compatriot David Ferrer on Saturday to book his place in the Barcelona Open final.

In the all-Spanish affair, Verdasco rallied to win 6-7(3/7) 7-5 6-1 and reach his second successive final.

It was a very even contest and neither player was willing to give an inch but Ferrer seemed to have grabbed a decisive advantage when, after winning the first set on a tie-break, he took a 4-2 lead in the second.

However, Verdasco swiftly broke back and, although Ferrer managed to save four set points on his serve, the number five seed levelled the match.

Ferrer, who reached the final the past two years, was growing increasingly frustrated and Verdasco swiftly went 5-0 up in the second set.

It is Verdasco’s second final in a row after he was swept aside 6-0 6-1 by Rafael Nadal last Sunday.

de Bakker has another big day at de Barcelona Open.

Thiemo de Bakker, who caused the biggest shock of the fourth day of the Barcelona Open BancSabadell by ousting seventh seed Juan Carlos Ferrero in an epic battle on a packed Court One, followed that vicory with his best win to date over a top ten player by defeating Jo Wilfried Tsonga 6-4,3-6,6-3.

Bakker, a 21 year old from the Netherlands served an outstanding match and had the popular Frenchman on the ropes for most of the match. Tsonga saved 3 match points on his own servic at 2-5, but could not save the final match point from the Dutchman’s racquet.

Thiemo de Bakker has caught the imagination of many of the top players, who regard him as player with a very bright future.

Fernando Verdasco set up an all-Spanish clash with David Ferrer after overcoming Ernests Gulbis in Fridays second quarterfinal match at the Barcelona Open BancSabadell. Verdasco, who also reached the final of last week’s Monte Carlo Masters 1000 event, started well against the Latvian #1, breaking twice in the first set to secure a 6-2 lead after just under thirty minutes of play.

David Ferrer, a two time finalist in Barcelona, was too strong for Thomaz Bellucci. He defeated the Brazillian player 6-4, 6-0 in just over an hour.

The semi final between Verdasco and Ferrer ensures that Spain will be represented in the final for a 14th consecutive year.

De Bakker will play Robin Soderling who easily dispatched Eduardo Schwank in straight sets match in the other semi final.

Gonzo and Hewitt ousted in Barcelona.

Lleyton Hewitt, the 12th seed, was sent crashing out as the Australian lost 7-6 (7/3) 6-4 to world number 59 Eduardo Schwank.

Fourth seed Fernando Gonzalez made a shock second-round exit at the Barcelona Open after losing to unheralded Spaniard Albert Ramos-Vinolas.

The world 166 had claimed his first ATP Tour win when he beat Michael Russell in the first round, but usurped that with a dramatic 6-4 6-7 (8/10) 6-3 success against Gonzalez.

Third seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga enjoyed an easy afternoon on his Barcelona debut, beating Jan Hajek 6-3 6-2.

Tsonga, who turned 25 last Saturday, will next meet Spanish 15th seed Nicolas Almagro who he beat in the second round at Monte Carlo last week.

“Almagro is a great player and it will be difficult to get a win against him,” the Frenchman said.

“I beat him last week, but I was playing at home. This time it is him who is at home, and he’s going to get a lot of support, so I’m going to have to play a very solid match.”

Fifth seed Fernando Verdasco swept past another Frenchman, Richard Gasquet, 7-5 6-3 while former world number one Juan Carlos Ferrero improved his impressive clay-court record this year after Sergiy Stakhovsky retired from their match when trailing 6-3 4-2.

Ferrero, the 2001 champion, now has an 18-2 win-loss record on clay this season, which includes title victories at Costa do Sauipe and Buenos Aires.

Other seeds to progress where David Ferrer (eight), Jurgen Melzer (11), Thomasz Bellucci (13) and Feliciano Lopez (16).

Spanish duo Ferrer and Lopez were straight-sets winners against wildcard Marcel Granollers and Denis Istomin respectively.

Melzer struggled to end the run of Barcelona-born Oscar Hernandez, who fired 11 aces, 6-7 (4/7) 7-5 7-5 while Bellucci also took three sets to beat Victor Hanescu 6-2 1-6 7-5.

Elsewhere, Italian qualifier Simone Bolelli beat wildcard Alberto Martin and Guillermo Garcia-Lopez saw off lucky loser Teimuraz Gabashvili.

Ernests Gulbis and Thiemo de Bakker were straight-sets winners against Jeremy Chardy and Daniel Gimeno-Traver respectively.