Fernando Verdasco survives tough test in Houston
Friday 10 April 2015 10:52, UK
Defending champion Fernando Verdasco beat 18-year-old Hyeon Chung 7-6 6-2 in the second round of the US Men's Clay Court Championship in Houston.
The Spaniard survived stiff early resistance from Chung in the first set, before breaking the South Korean player in the fifth game of the second set on his way to victory.
Verdasco, 32, praised his young opponent and believes he has a bright future in the game.
"After the first break of the match maybe he went down mentally," the sixth seed said.
"But he plays really good to be 18. He moves well and has strong legs. He has a good forehand and a good backhand and serves all the time at 120-something.
“He's pretty complete. With a little more experience, he's going to go high in the rankings."
Chung was the first South Korean player to win a match in the tournament since Hyung-Taik Lee reached the final in 2001.
Elsewhere, American Jack Sock upset second-seeded Roberto Bautista Agut of Spain 6-4 6-4.
Sock is playing his third tournament of the year after having surgery to repair a torn muscle in his pelvis in December.
And the 22-year-old said he was relieved to go through after battling tricky weather conditions.
"Windy, sun in and out of the clouds, a lot going on. But I was fortunate. I played well and got through.
“But I was able to dictate play with my forehand and the clay helps my kick serves. They get up out of his strike zone and he likes everything in the pocket."
In other second round matches, Russia's Teymuraz Gabashvili beat fourth-seeded American John Isner 6-2 7-6 and fifth-seeded Santiago Giraldo of Colombia saw off Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia 7-6 (7-2) 6-3.
In the quarter-finals Verdasco will face Gabashvili, and Sock will play Giraldo.
