Spain’s Juan Carlos Ferrero suffered a setback in his bid for the year-end world number-one ranking, losing to Argentina’s David Nalbandian 6-3, 6-1 in 67 minutes in Houston on Monday at the ATP Masters Cup.
Second-ranked French Open champion Ferrero, trying to become Spain’s first ATP year-end number one, cannot afford another loss in round-robin play to take a semifinal berth and mount an effective threat to top-ranked Andy Roddick.
Either man can capture the crown by winning the season-ending showdown of 2003’s eight top players, with Ferrero still in contention thanks to the round-robin preliminary format.
This marked the third year in a row Ferrero has lost his opening match in the year-end showcase. In 2001 he reached the semifinals and last year made the finals, both times losing to Australia’s Lleyton Hewitt.
Nalbandian, the first Argentine to play in the season-ending ATP showdown in 20 years, denied Ferrero 20 valuable points in the title match with the Blue Group victory, keeping him 26 points behind Roddick, who opens play on Tuesday.
Wimbledon winner Roger Federer, the third-ranked Swiss with a longshot chance at the throne, faces Australian Open champion Andre Agassi of the United States in a later match on Monday at the $3,75 million outdoor hardcourt event.
Ferrero (23) lost his only prior meeting with Nalbandian (21) on clay last year in Estoril, Portugal 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7/4).
Eighth-ranked Nalbandian had four aces and won all four of his break-point chances without losing his own serve to defeat Ferrero.
Nalbandian slammed a forehand return winner past Ferrero to break the Spaniard in the sixth game to lead 4-2, then fought off a break point in the seventh game with a forehand winner before holding on two Ferrero errors.
Ferrero handed Nalbandian the first set by slicing a backhand volley beyond the baseline, then promptly surrendered a break in the first game of the second set, losing on Nalbandian’s cross-court return winner.
Nalbandian broke again to 4-0 and the two held serve to the finish, Nalbandian claiming the match on a forehand winner. — Sapa-AFP