A marriage proposal screamed by an adoring spectator provided the only awkward moment for Spanish Davis Cup hero Fernando Verdasco during the Brisbane International semifinals on Saturday.
While the third seed brushed off the cheeky request as easily as semifinal opponent Paul-Henri Mathieu, Verdasco knows only too well that wily Czech Radek Stepanek won’t be denied so easily in Sunday’s final.
World No.15 Verdasco, 25, may be tennis glamour girl Ana Ivanovic’s better half but it did not stop one wishful Pat Rafter Arena fan from popping the question during his 6-2 6-1 demolition of France’s Mathieu.
“I just told her that it is not the moment right now,” Verdasco joked.
“I am focusing on tennis, I don’t want any distractions.
“Maybe if I get married it is worse (distraction). I told her that I need time.”
A much more daunting proposal awaits Verdasco on Sunday – crafty veteran Stepanek.
Awkward eighth seed Stepanek, 30, dipped into his deep bag of tricks to upset world No.23 Richard Gasquet 2-6 6-2 6-4 in a semifinal lasting more than two hours on Saturday.
It may be far from what organisers had prayed for when they locked in the likes of Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic and world No.7 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, but the men’s final looms as an intriguing battle.
Indeed the two combatants could not be more different.
Verdasco is in the best form of his life at the moment – he is also playing fantastic tennis.
While Ivanovic is the darling of world tennis, Verdasco is doing his best to turn heads off-court, being seen with a bevy of beauties before hooking up with the French Open champion last year and also posing nude in Spain’s Cosmopolitan magazine.
It would be fair to say Stepanek will not be pursuing a post-tennis modelling career.
But Stepanek still won over a packed Pat Rafter Arena in his comeback win on Saturday, time and again whipping up the crowd as he pumped himself up with a fist punch or scream – much to Gasquet’s obvious annoyance.
Emerging star Verdasco is playing the best tennis of his short career after his 2008 Davis Cup final-clinching singles victory against Argentina.
Former world top 10 player Stepanek is finding a second wind in a pro career that began way back in 1996.
“He (Verdasco) had great rhythm and was not able to miss a point. Definitely I would like to destroy his rhythm,” world No.26 Stepanek said of the Spaniard.
“He keeps improving – but I am doing the same thing.”
Stepanek clearly irritated seventh seed Gasquet with his constant fist pumping and screams as the Czech clawed his way back into the match.
At one stage in the second set Gasquet – backing up from his upset win over Tsonga – complained to the chair umpire about a post-shot grunt by Stepanek.
But Stepanek said later: “There is nothing I am doing against the opponent – it is to myself.
“I tried to play without emotion and I lost zero (6-0) and one (6-1) so I didn’t do it again.”
However, Verdasco did not have to be told what to expect on Sunday.
Stepanek leads 2-0 in career clashes – the last an epic five-set win by the Czech in the 2006 Wimbledon fourth round.
“I know his way of play, he knows that. But I have confidence that I can win,” Verdasco said.
Meanwhile, Australians Chris Guccione and Carsten Ball have been defeated in the doubles semifinal 6-4 6-2 by Fernando Verdasco and Mischa Zverev. While in the other doubles semi Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Marc Gicquel were too good for Travis Parrott and Filip Polasek, with the final score reading 7-5 6-7(4) [10-7]
Today’s results:
Men’s singles semifinal
[3] Fernando Verdasco (ESP) d Paul-Henri Mathieu (FRA) 6-2 6-1
[8] Radek Stepanek d [7] Richard Gasquet 2-6 6-2 6-4
Men’s doubles semifinal
Fernando Verdasco/Mischa Zverev (ESP/GER) d Carsten Ball/Chris Guccione (AUS) 6-4 6-2
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga/Marc Gicquel (FRA) d Travis Parrott/Filip Polasek (USA/SVK) 7-5 6-7(4) [10-7]
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