David Ferrer played with a pit bull's perseverance in posting a 12-0 clay-court record coming into Monte Carlo, but his was forced on his heels today as Thomaz Bellucci whipped a series of forehand winners around the court. The left-hander drilled a ferocious diagonal forehand winner to break in the opening game of the second set. Though Ferrer tried to shrug off the shot, he couldn't shake its impact.
Treating Ferrer's second serve with severe disdain, Bellucci dismissed the 2011 finalist, 6-3, 6-2, in 68 minutes to reach the third round in Monaco for the first time. Winless in six prior sets against Ferrer, the 45th-ranked Brazilian handed the out-of-sorts world No. 6 his first clay-court loss of the season.
The fifth-seeded Ferrer was reportedly playing with an arm injury; his shots lacked their usual depth and bite, and he struggled to find answers for Bellucci's bold returns. Three consecutive Ferrer errors gave Bellucci the break and a 2-0 first-set lead; he consolidated for 3-0 after overcoming two double faults.
Ferrer's preferred pattern of play on clay is to run around his backhand and launch his inside-out forehand directly into a right-handed opponent's backhand wing. That approach feeds directly into Bellucci's stronger lefty forehand, so Ferrer spent much of the first set playing his forehand cross-court and trying to squeeze his backhand down the line. ATP stats showed Ferrer hit 72 percent of his shots to the Bellucci backhand in the first set, and he paid the price for that predictability. Bellucci, who is most comfortable hitting his forehand from the backhand corner, won nine of 14 points played on Ferrer's second serve in seizing the first set in 41 minutes.
The second set followed a similar script, with Bellucci breaking immediately, then pounding an ace down the middle to hold for 2-0. Driving Ferrer into a defensive dig behind the baseline, Bellucci spooned a forehand drop shot winner in the fifth game. Ferrer, who is usually so skilled at dragging opponents into grueling rallies that sap their strength and drain their desire, bashed a backhand deep on the 13th shot to drop serve again and fall into a 4-1 hole.
The lanky Bellucci is a talented player who generates easy power from a fluid forehand swing. He became the first Brazilian since three-time French Open champion Gustavo Kuerten to win an ATP title and crack the Top 40, but his lack of variety behind using his serve to set up his forehand had held him back in recent years. Today, he thumped his backhand with authority, returned serve effectively, and shrewdly used the drop shot to make Ferrer, playing his first tournament since turning 30, look a half-step slow and a full shot short.
Showing no trace of nerves serving for the match, Bellucci earned triple match point and closed emphatically with a forehand that danced off the baseline. Bellucci faces 55th-ranked Robin Haase for the first time tomorrow, with the winner taking on either world No. 1 Novak Djokovic or 16th-seeded Alexandr Dolgopolov in the quarterfinals.