ARTICLE Ferrero overcomes giant Johansson
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MELBOURNE, Australia -- French Open champion Juan Carlos Ferrero toiled for four sets before overcoming Swedish giant Joachim Johansson in the third round of the Australian Open in Melbourne.
The world number three finished strongly after losing the third set in a tiebreaker to win 6-1 7-6 (7/4) 6-7 (5/7) 6-4.
Ferrero, who reached the quarter-finals here last year, will now play unseeded Romanian Andrei Pavel in the round of 16 on Monday.
Ferrero was impressed with Johansson's improvement since he saw him as a junior three years ago. "I see some good changes in him, the serve and a very good forehand, but maybe he has to improve mistakes on important points," Ferrero said.
Johansson made a welter of unforced errors, 52 to 17 and served up seven double-faults.
Ferrero said he was not troubled by forearm and back problems which surfaces in his last match with Italian Filippo Volandri.
Ferrero started strongly, dropping only one game but 21-year-old big-serving Johansson, who clocked a top speed of 225 kph (140mph), got more into the match and won the third set tiebreaker.
Ferrero broke Johansson's serve in the seventh game of the fourth set to go on and clinch the match in two hours 28 minutes.
PHOTOS Round 3
pic: forehand
pic: yell
pic: pumped
pic: backhand
pic: serve
pic: return
-- with watermarks --
pic: ball toss
pic: dashing to the net
pic: fist pump
pic: forehand
pic: backhand
pic: signing autographs
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MELBOURNE, Australia -- French Open champion Juan Carlos Ferrero toiled for four sets before overcoming Swedish giant Joachim Johansson in the third round of the Australian Open in Melbourne.
The world number three finished strongly after losing the third set in a tiebreaker to win 6-1 7-6 (7/4) 6-7 (5/7) 6-4.
Ferrero, who reached the quarter-finals here last year, will now play unseeded Romanian Andrei Pavel in the round of 16 on Monday.
Ferrero was impressed with Johansson's improvement since he saw him as a junior three years ago. "I see some good changes in him, the serve and a very good forehand, but maybe he has to improve mistakes on important points," Ferrero said.
Johansson made a welter of unforced errors, 52 to 17 and served up seven double-faults.
Ferrero said he was not troubled by forearm and back problems which surfaces in his last match with Italian Filippo Volandri.
Ferrero started strongly, dropping only one game but 21-year-old big-serving Johansson, who clocked a top speed of 225 kph (140mph), got more into the match and won the third set tiebreaker.
Ferrero broke Johansson's serve in the seventh game of the fourth set to go on and clinch the match in two hours 28 minutes.
PHOTOS Round 3
pic: forehand
pic: yell
pic: pumped
pic: backhand
pic: serve
pic: return
-- with watermarks --
pic: ball toss
pic: dashing to the net
pic: fist pump
pic: forehand
pic: backhand
pic: signing autographs
